Deputy Mayor's Round Table Discussions on Roads in Kawartha Lakes

At the Committee of the Whole meeting on January 14, 2020 Former Deputy Mayor Elmslie thanked the public for participating in the Roads 101 Roundtable sessions by attending community meetings and providing feedback online through Jump In, Kawartha Lakes. The feedback received from the community resulted in three key recommendations:

• Improve drainage on roads through increasing operations on ditching and brushing, as well as continue the practice of paving shoulders where possible.
• Increase communications, education and engagement around our roads programs, road maintenance and most frequent or recurring concerns.
• More proactive and preventative maintenance, such as seeking out alternative and viable options for longer lasting patching materials.

In 2019, Councillor Elmslie visited communities across Kawartha Lakes to host the municipality’s “Roads 101” sessions. The purpose of the meetings was to gather community input on improving the efficiency of road operations and to finalize three recommendations to bring to Council.

“The Roads 101 Roundtable sessions were a great opportunity to connect with communities across Kawartha Lakes, share information and gather input on what our residents would like to see more of,” stated Councillor Elmslie. “Involving both staff and community members in the meetings created a well-balanced conversation surrounding the needs and priorities of the municipality as a whole.”

Pending approval at the Council meeting on January 28, staff will be directed to bring a report to Council by the end of June with an outline of how to implement and incorporate the action items.

“The meetings were beneficial to engage residents with varying levels of knowledge and expertise to help provide a voice around what they believe is working and what we may need to address moving forward,” commented Bryan Robinson, Director, Public Works. “The recommendations coming forward will not only help staff better communicate the right messaging, but the information gathered will further help Council in making educated decisions moving forward.”

Thank you to all the Round Table participants and members of the public who took the time to attend one of the seven Deputy Mayor Round Table Discussions on Roads. The notes from each session are now available.

Burnt River

Cameron

Coboconk

Lindsay

Little Britain

Manvers

Omemee

Join Deputy Mayor Doug Elmslie for the last Roads 101 Roundtable in Coboconk on Thursday September 26, from 7pm to 9pm at 9 Grandy Road. The discussion will begin with an introduction from the Deputy Mayor and a brief presentation about roads. Community representatives will then discuss the roads in Kawartha Lakes in a panel format, followed by a Question and Answer period for the public.

Since September 11, six Roads 101 Roundtables have been held across the municipality, including: Lindsay, Manvers, Omemee, Burnt River, Cameron and Little Britain. Each roundtable has resulted in three recommendations that will be compiled and presented to Council at the end of 2019.

“The Roads 101 Roundtables have offered some spirited dialogue, some very good questions and comments so far. We’ve received several recommendations that will be included in my final report to Council. Staff have been front and centre at these sessions and have been candid in answering the tough questions. I believe we are achieving our goal of providing residents with some solid information about the challenges the municipality faces with our road network. At the same time, residents are being pro-active with suggestions, comments and questions. This continues to give Councillors an understanding of constituent issues and concerns,” commented Doug Elmslie.

Join in with the roads conversation at www.jumpinkawarthalakes.ca. Register to learn more about how roads are built and maintained in Kawartha Lakes, ask questions and submit your ideas. Background information is available on the municipal website.

Deputy Mayor Doug Elmslie has been hosting Roads 101 Roundtables across the municipality since August 28. The first three sessions were held in Lindsay, Manvers and Omemee.

There will be four more Roads 101 Roundtables throughout Kawartha Lakes and everyone is welcome to come and listen in. To become a participant in a roundtable discussion, please contact your local Councillor.

Join in with the roads conversation at www.jumpinkawarthalakes.ca. Register to learn more about how roads are built and maintained in Kawartha Lakes, ask questions and submit your ideas. Background information is available on the municipal website.

Each discussion will begin with an introduction from Deputy Mayor Elmslie and a brief presentation about roads. Community representatives will then discuss the roads in Kawartha Lakes with the Deputy Mayor. From each roundtable, three recommendations will be decided by the participating members. Deputy Mayor Elmslie will then present all the recommendations from every Roads 101 Roundtable to Council at the end of 2019.

Roads 101 Roundtables Schedule

Wednesday September 11: Burnt River Somerville Community Centre

7pm to 9pm

16 Somerville Centre Road, Burnt River

Tuesday September 17: Southview Cameron New Horizons Club

7pm to 9pm

107 Anderson Drive, Cameron

Thursday September 19: Little Britain Community Centre

7pm to 9pm

9 Arena Road, Little Britain

Thursday September 26: Coboconk Community Centre

7pm to 9pm

9 Grandy Road, Coboconk

Kawartha Lakes – Deputy Mayor Doug Elmslie will be visiting communities across the municipality to host community roundtables called “Roads 101”. These meetings offer the opportunity for community engagement, where Deputy Mayor Elmslie, residents and community representatives will discuss matters related to roads and will work together to create recommendations for Council.

“Kawartha Lakes has a lot of clever and smart people out there,” said Deputy Mayor Elmslie. “By bringing them on board in a roundtable environment, they can provide ideas that can help us go forward.”

Everyone is invited to attend and listen to the Roads 101 roundtables, which will feature six to eight community representatives and the Deputy Mayor. A question and answer period will follow where residents can ask questions directly to the Deputy Mayor or our technical experts from both Public Works and Engineering. Residents can also engage with the Roads 101 discussion by visiting Jump In, Kawartha Lakes.

Each discussion will begin with an introduction from Deputy Mayor Elmslie and a brief presentation about roads. Community representatives will then discuss the roads in Kawartha Lakes with the Deputy Mayor. From each roundtable, three recommendations will be decided by the participating members. Deputy Mayor Elmslie will then present all the recommendations from every Roads 101 roundtable to Council at the end of 2019.

The Roads 101 roundtables will run from August 24 to September 19. See below for the full schedule:

Wednesday August 28: Lindsay Recreation Complex

7pm to 9pm

133 Adelaide Street, Lindsay

Tuesday September 3: Manvers Community Centre

7pm to 9pm

697 Highway 7, Bethany

Thursday September 5: Omemee Coronation Hall

7pm to 9pm

1 King Street West, Omemee

Wednesday September 11: Burnt River Somerville Community Centre

7pm to 9pm

16 Somerville Centre Road, Burnt River

Tuesday September 17: Southview Cameron New Horizons Club

7pm to 9pm

107 Anderson Drive, Cameron

Thursday September 19: Little Britain Community Centre

7pm to 9pm

9 Arena Road, Little Britain

Thursday September 26: Coboconk Community Centre (previously supposed to be hosted on August 24)

7pm to 9pm

9 Grandy Road in Coboconk

Learn more about roads in Kawartha Lakes by visiting the municipal website. You can also get involved with the Roads 101 sessions online through our new platform, Jump In, Kawartha Lakes.