Grand Trunk renewal: Council begins workshop series

The City of Stratford has started a series of workshops for council and the public to explore options for the Grand Trunk renewal project; the first session on Jan. 27 covered municipal development and project evaluation, and a second workshop is planned for the end of February with a decision point expected in March or April.

The City of Stratford has begun a workshop series for council members and the public to explore options for the Grand Trunk renewal project. The first session took place on Jan. 27 and focused on municipal development topics and the factors that influence such projects. Chief administrative officer André Morin said the sessions are intended to provide background information and to revisit work done by the ad hoc GTR committee, not to make decisions. Organizers plan a second workshop at the end of February and said a decision point about the next 12 to 18 months of the project is expected in March or April. Workshop details: - Consultants Joe Svec and Rock Wang of Svec Group reviewed the proforma process used to evaluate a site's financial feasibility. - Melanie Hare, a former member of the ad hoc GTR committee, emphasized using the site's potential for community benefit. - Cory Bluhm, executive director of economic development for the City of Kitchener, described past and current land development practices and trends. - Marcus Hammoud, project manager and environmental scientist at WSP Canada, outlined common pitfalls in brownfield redevelopment. - CAO André Morin said the sessions are meant to back up the ad hoc committee's work and allow council to ask targeted questions; a recording of the workshop will be made available on the city's website. Summary: The workshops are intended to give council a solid information base by revisiting expert briefings and prior committee work while deferring formal decisions. Additional sessions will delve into Grand Trunk–specific topics, and officials have indicated they expect to reach a decision point on the project's direction for the next 12 to 18 months in March or April.