By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press

Council for the Town of Essex deferred receiving a report providing an update on the Community Services Master Plan – a roadmap document planning out recreation and parkland needs until 2034 – at the June 15 meeting. This will give administration to the July 6 meeting to put together information and potential maintenance costs for the naturalized area on South Talbot Road.

In looking at the report, Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais noted several projects have already been completed in a short amount of time.

She spoke to the section of the Master Plan regarding exploring opportunities to implement naturalized pockets within passive parkland. The Town applied that to the new South Talbot walkway that was put in by the MTO as part of the Highway 3 expansion project.

While she supports naturalized areas, she believes the trees and shrubs along this corridor were planted four or five-years ago. During that time, they were actively maintained with the Town monitoring vegetation, drainage, and pathways, resulting in residents becoming accustomed to a certain appearance and level of service.

“This year, that changed significantly without any consultation,” McGuire-Blais said. “As a result, many residents are not viewing this as a naturalization project. They are viewing it as a reduction in maintenance and a decrease in service levels. The grass has grown to a point where much of the landscaping that was planted several years ago is no longer visible, and many residents feel the area appears unmanaged rather than intentionally designed.”

Her concern was not with the long-term vision of introducing additional native plants and species, it is with the current state of the area.

“I do see the need for naturalized areas,” McGuire-Blais said. “I know they exist in other communities along pathways, along roads. I just think that we need to have a conversation about it with our residents before we just put it on them.”

She put forward a Notice of Motion that the Town hire, or approve ten overtime hours per week over the next four-months to maintain the area. The funding would come from the Wage Stabilization Reserve. She would like administration to present a proposal for this at budget time. Administration would also present a definition of a naturalized space.

That is around half what was taking place previously, she realizes, but believes that could be sufficient.

“I believe we can support environmental stewardship, while also maintaining the appearance. Especially when we have a decrease in level of service, which is what our residents are feeling at this point,” she said.

CAO Kate Giurissevich believes a report to Council should come forward, so the local decision-makers understand the level of service that will accompany that 10- hours per week.

McGuire-Blais didn’t ask for a report because it could be the end of the summer before it is completed, and residents will have spent the entire summer upset about the tall grass.

Because the Notice of Motion was not passed by the Clerk prior to the meeting, Director of Legal and Legislative Services/ Clerk, Joe Malandruccolo, said he could not accept it. He said the recommended action was to receive the report presented. That could be altered, if Council chooses, and be built upon.

McGuire-Blais asked that maintaining the grass be included in the motion to receive the report, but Giurissevich noted the financial component had not been calculated.

McGuire-Blais said there were multiple conversations and emails between her and staff on this.

Councillor Rodney Hammond said he did drive down this area and believes it is quite appealing.

Councillor Kim Verbeek has not heard any complaints, but did hear positive comments. She did not know Council would be asked to spend money on the spot, and wanted a report to look at it. If it is mowed, she wondered if it would affect its ability to grow in the future. She knows growing naturalized areas around highways that create a great amount of pollution are ideal.

Verbeek would want a coming report to detail more than just costs, but the impacts that maintaining the area could have on the plant life growing there.

Councillor Joe Garon has not received a lot of complaints about this area. The concern he had is whether the Director of Community Services is going to determine which level of service is to be cut out, and where it stops. If it is a major change, it should be coming back to Council.

Director of Community Services, Jake Morassut, took responsibility for the level of service change. He was under the impression it was eventually going to become a naturalized area. Administration was monitoring and maintaining the property, as tall grass can choke out plants. Then it was time to let it grow. He said that was something he should have better communicated to Council.

Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley believed two-weeks would be sufficient to get a report on the matter, and then Council can have a discussion on the costs.

Councillors Hammond and Matyi were opposed to the motion to defer.

In speaking to the contents of the Community Service Master Plan, Morassut noted Council approved it in 2023. It detailed 111 recommendations to benefit the community.

Since the adoption of the document, Morassut said staff in his department have been chipping away at that to-do list.

Morassut detailed a few of the key capital highlights for Council. One such ongoing file is continuing to work on the Essex Sports Park.

“We wanted to make sure the plans were ready for shovels in the ground in case there was funding that came out,” Morassut noted, adding the Town has applied for some of those grant funds, one of which was successful and a couple more that were not.

He highlighted that some of the ongoing work includes irrigation, top dressing, over-seeding, and overcoming the grass issues encountered related to the project. “But if you’ve looked at it recently, it’s looking pretty good,” Morassut said.

The Community Services Department also has funding arrangements near completion for the developing amphitheatre plans, which will be built in Essex Centre’s Heritage Gardens Park. That was included in the 2026 Budget. During Budget deliberation last December, it was noted $582,000 for the amphitheatre was needed through sponsorship and naming rights. At that time, $500,000 in sponsorship and naming rights had been secured. If additional commitments are secured, the design can be higher-quality.

Also in the 2026 Budget was funding to replace the pavilion at Sadlers’ Nature Park.

In answering questions about this project from Councillor Verbeek, Morassut noted the pavilion project does not have a date set as of yet. It is also tender ready. The Town expects to issue that over the next few weeks.

The existing pavilion is not in good enough condition to be kept, he noted. The new facility will be located more centrally in the park so it is on higher ground, ensuring it is more visible to prevent vandalism.

Verbeek also asked if consideration had been given to leaving the cement pad for skipping, chalk art, and other games for youths. Morassut noted keeping the concrete pad could be something looked at, but suggested looking at drainage to accomplish that to prevent standing water, part of the reason the posts in the existing pavilion are rotting.

That low-lying area would be perfect for a pollinator garden, Verbeek added.

At the southern end of the municipality, the multi-use courts will be relocated to the Harrow Soccer Complex. Funding for this was also placed in the 2026 Budget. This was the outcome from the Harrow Fairgrounds Master Plan staff are working to complete, which will be presented to Council for consideration of adoption in the near future.

Another item that came out of public feedback as it relates to the Harrow Fairgrounds Master Plan included establishing a dog park in Harrow. Morassut said there is a plan as part of that open house that was held last fall. Staff are looking to repurpose one of the existing unused baseball diamonds at the Harrow Fairground. That is likely the method administration will recommend to Council to proceed with to create a dog park.

In addition, a generator was added to the Harrow and Colchester South Community Centre this year, and another at the Essex Centre Sports Complex in 2025, to support emergency management. Also at the Essex Arena, lighting was changed to LEDs, which is anticipated to significantly reduce electricity consumption. The Harrow Arena was connected to the building automation system last year.

Also approved in this year’s budget was the Essex Town Centre park, and accessible lifts were installed at the Essex Aquatics Centre, thanks to provincial funding through the Ontario government’s Enhancing Access to Spaces for Everyone (EASE) Grant.

In 2025, the playground at Co-An Park was replaced in partnership with facility co-owner Amherstburg.

A pathway was installed to connect Pereira Drive to Pollard Park in 2024, and a corporate tree inventory was created in 2025 for the future management of trees as a Town asset.

Also, a sun sale was added to the McGregor Community Park in 2024.

Councillor Jason Matyi would like to see a pavilion in the Colchester Park.

“We are a small municipality, and we run very lean, but we are mighty in our Parks Department,” Mayor Sherry Bondy said. “That’s a lot of accomplishments.”

In answering Mayor Bondy regarding the Harrow Fair arch, Morassut noted the design plans have just been approved. The anticipation is that it will be installed in July.