By Mark Squibb
December 1, 2023 Edition
Witless Bay council made two applications for plots of Crown Land during last week’s public council meeting.
The first application was to secure a right of way along a section of the old railbed to help the Town better develop the trail.
Councillor Jacob Hayden asked whether he was in a conflict as he a member of the ATV Association, which is working on upgrades to the railway trail. He was found not to be in conflict as there is no financial gain to be had.
Hayden said the Town needs to do it’s best to protect the trail.
“We’ve very lucky to have this in town as it is,” said Hayden. “Just look at the price Bay Bulls just paid for their walking trail… So, hopefully we’re successful in this application and we can have a nice, reliable walking trail for generations to come.”
Bay Bulls recently completed nearly a million dollars worth of work on the Long Pond trail, although much of that was paid for with provincial and federal government funding.
Council also agreed to apply for a parcel of Crown Land adjacent to the Puffin Centre for future development and expansion of the Town’s recreation ground.
“We’ve sized it up, and if we want to build onto the Puffin Centre in the future or we want to expand on recreation in the area, it would be the perfect area to do so,” explained Hayden.
In other development news, council approved a business permit on Deans Road, subject to all other applicable government approvals, and construction of a commercial building at the same address.
Carey said the building will be used for storage, and there will be no water or septic hooked up to the building. Any future change of use would require approval by council.
Council also approved construction of a family home on Country Path, and ratified an earlier decision of council to award a patch paving contract to English’s Paving at a cost of $17,900 plus HST.
