If at first you don’t succeed …
That could be an adage Mapleton Township council can live by when it comes to getting the attention of a major company.
After months of attempts to reach officials at CN Railway for a meeting over Conestogo River erosion problems in Drayton, chief administrative officer Patty Sinnamon told council on Jan. 10 she is in the process of arranging a meeting with CN officials.
The meeting, which she hoped would take place this week, was to consider concerns brought to council’s attention by councillor Andy Knetsch several months ago.
He has fears about the abutment on the Conestogo River that is still the property of the railway company.
The banks around the abutment are eroding quickly and he sees that as a major safety issue.
Sinnamon said scheduling the meeting may not be easy because three parties are involved: the township, CN and the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA).
The GRCA, too, has been trying to meet with CN officials about concerns over flooding, but Sinnamon said besides possible channeling in the river, its officials are concerned about silt washing out from the banks near the old railway abutment and again in other places along the riverbank that is owned by CN.
“It is related to the abutment,” Sinnamon said of those other erosion problems.
That abutment is about 60 feet high and a recent visit before the weather turned colder showed a steady trickle of gravel rolling down from the banks into the river.
Township officials believe some work in the river could prevent major floods that have been occurring in downtown Drayton over the past several years.
Sinnamon said she sent emails to several CN officials before she finally obtained a response.
