Thursday, December 8, 2011

Chester Warden: Big Decision Looms on Wild Rose Park

Councillors in Chester are set to debate the future of Wild Rose Park in Western Shore later this month. The Municipality of the District of Chester is faced with a decision on whether or not to engage itself in keeping the park fully accessible for public use. Large parts of the park are located on Crown Land while other areas are privately owned and divided into 12 separate parcels of land. Warden Allen Webber says council has been keeping an eye on the situation for more than a year and now have to decide whether or not to inject in the situation. "I've been here for 30 years, and never, have we ever, expropriated anybody's property and for good reason - it's a very extreme measure. However, extreme circumstances sometimes call for extreme action. It's an available tool for us, whether we use it or not remains to be seen, but let me be clear - we'll negotiate with land owners on a case by case basis to acquire their interests. Should we go down that path"  Webber is urging the residents of Chester and the surrounding area to attend a meeting on the mater on December 22nd. The meeting will begin at 8:45AM. Information packages are available at the Municipal office in Chester.