Champs thankful
Dear Editor:
On Aug. 25, the Elora Mohawk Junior B Lacrosse team won the Founder’s Cup, a national championship.
This title has been won by the Elora Mohawk organization twice in the past decade. No small feat!
The team was comprised of local young men who committed to a summer of hard work and dedication to the sport of lacrosse. The success of the team also comes from an unwavering commitment from the coaching staff, executive, parents, families, fans and our community sponsors.8
I am afraid to name specific organizations here as there are so many and I would feel terrible if I missed one. If you were an organization that supported our team financially, morally or in person at “the barn” in Elora, please accept our heartfelt thanks and gratitude.
On behalf of the Elora Mohawks executive, thank you for believing in this team and their commitment to excellence.
Brian Welsh,
President, Elora Mohawks
‘Disgrace to township’
Dear Editor:
I have lived for 20 years now near the arboretum off Park Avenue in Fergus and what a beautiful, tranquil, peaceful place it was to enjoy walks. And for those who lost loved ones and purchased trees and benches in their memory it was a serene place to honour them.
Here we are in 2024 and the arboretum is unrecognizable.
Yes, the municipality does cut walkways but the weeds have overgrown the memorial plaques near the trees and the benches are rotten and falling apart.
What happened this past year to warrant such neglect? Do we no longer respect places like this? It is shameful and a disgrace to the township. Please I urge you to give us back this place of dignity.
Carol Roberts,
Fergus
‘Destruction’
Dear Editor:
Those who agreed to the Belwood Estates development should drive down the 3rd Line to see that kind of destruction has been wrought on our small community.
Leslie Bond,
Centre Wellington
‘The sloganeer’
Dear Editor:
Sloganeering is a demanding job.
It means scanning the dictionary for alliterative nicknames for each political figure on the other side. It also requires grabbing the playbook of any party opposite and tearing out the pages that reference carbon rebates, child benefits, school food programs, the lowering inflation rate, new dental programs, new green industries and such.
So busy is the life of a sloganeer that one has no time to even consider climate change or the mess we leave our children to clean up.
A caution to journalists covering the speeches of a sloganeer: keep the mic open, but back your camera away from any flying food bits when the sloganeer is asked about his million-dollar pension.
Arlene Callaghan,
Fergus
‘Clean up your act’
Dear Editor:
Last spring on St. David St. N. in Fergus, construction was started. Imagine my surprise when a disintegrating tire was unearthed.
When was this tire from? A year, two years or maybe 30 or more? The construction company tossed it on the heap of earth. It was tossed back into the hole when they finished that spot of construction.
On Sept. 10 the construction company opened a hole on the corner of St. Patrick and St. David. It was deep and it was about 15 feet long. One man was cleaning up the area by hand. A plastic garbage bag, coffee cups and wrappers. He proceeded to toss it all in the hole – almost on top of a worker. That’s okay, it would not have hurt the worker, he had a safety vest on.
There were workers sitting on a mound of earth with safety vests on. Maybe assign some of them to clean up garbage and not to throw it into the construction site?
By the way, there are so many construction sites going on in Centre Wellington. I wonder how much garbage is going into the ground? Mayor, council members, construction companies and people in general: do better, clean up your act and use garbage cans.
Lucy Dyment,
Fergus
Noise concerns
Dear Editor:
RE: “Excessive sound,” Sept. 12.
The Centre Wellington Black Committee would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the nearly 2,000 attendees and participants who made the CW Family FunDay Festival at Bissell Park on Sept. 1 a memorable event. Your enthusiasm and support are what make our community events so special.
We would also like to express our gratitude to the Township of Centre Wellington for the use of Bissell Park. Your support and cooperation were instrumental in making this event possible.
However, we would also like to address a concern raised by some of our neighbors regarding the noise levels during the event. We sincerely apologize for the music being too loud and for any inconvenience this may have caused to nearby residents. We understand the importance of maintaining a peaceful environment and will take measures to reduce noise levels at future events to ensure everyone can enjoy the festivities without disturbance.
Additionally, we regret to inform you that the foam party and laser tag activities were not held as planned. This was due to a directive from the township, which prohibited the use of inflammable materials on township property due to safety hazards. Unfortunately, we received this notification too late to update our promotions, and we apologize for any disappointment this may have caused.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support. We look forward to organizing more enjoyable and considerate events in the future.
Millicent Gordon,
Founder and chair,
Centre Wellington Black Committee
No maintenance?
Dear Editor:
How proud are we of our beautiful town of Fergus? What is happening to the statue in front of The Breadalbane Restaurant?
It is rotting away and looks terrible. Who is responsible for the maintenance of the statue?
Also why are there so many tall weeds growing along the sidewalk on St. Andrew Street from Breadalbane Street to Beatty Line? Help!
Joanne Jonker,
Fergus
*Editor’s note: The Township of Centre Wellington announced in the spring of 2023 that the “Breadalbane Giant” carving, officially called the Defender of Blairgowrie, is to be removed. At the time, the township deemed the statue “a safety hazard” because the stump is rotting.
‘Act quickly’
Dear Editor:
RE: Local pickleballers bring home gold, Sept. 12.
Congratulations to Bryce Richardson and Tim Porter for their impressive gold medal win in the Canada 55+ games.
As Richardson rightly stated, there is a great need for better pickleball facilities in Centre Wellington. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in North America and it is being embraced by persons of all ages. It is easy to learn but can be played at intense, challenging levels with experienced players.
The health benefits of racquet sports are well documented. Investments of this type can support a happier, healthier population. It will also attract persons interested in active living to our community.
Given the plan to dramatically expand the size of the Centre Wellington population, the time to act is now. We are already faced with inadequate tennis facilities and the availability of good pickleball venues is abysmal. It is not a good solution to dual purpose tennis courts with pickleball lines. This just leads to hard feelings and conflict as has been noted by other municipalities that have undertaken appropriate planning.
It is also very important to locate outdoor courts in areas away from residential neighborhoods due to noise concerns when courts are fully used. That means we need to act quickly given the rush to build more housing in our area.
The existing space in the sportsplex is heavily booked by completing groups. Moreover, it is a substandard and unsafe setting for competitive pickleball play. This is not a viable long-term solution.
There are many communities that have flourishing pickleball clubs that we can learn from. Honey Harbour, Port Elgin and Barrie are all examples of towns that have major new dedicated pickleball facilities.
There are also lots of options for how this could be funded. Certainly, this should be part of our community recreational plan just as many other types of sports are. However, if the township is unable to fully fund a facility to meet the needs of this rapidly growing sport, it should pursue partnerships with private investors urgently.
There are creative solutions to this issue. It’s time to get on with putting those solutions in place.
John Hirdes,
Elora
The ‘enlightened’?
Dear Editor:
RE: Survey: youth recovering from COVID-19 isolation but there are still disturbing trends, Sept. 12.
It strikes me that despite this attempt to commend the work of the school boards and public health in helping youth recover, the mental health of youth has been and continues to be badly influenced by both of these entities.
As well as going along with the destructive measures regarding COVID-19 enforced by the government, school boards and public health officials continue to rank themselves above parents as the best guardians of children’s health and spiritual condition.
When will the hearts of parents turn towards their children and rescue them from those who, against all the evidence, count themselves enlightened?
Ruth Sutherland,
Puslinch