Centennial Boat Ramps Finally Done, and It's Beautiful.

From Tyler Kula, Sarnia Observer.        

Boaters rejoice.

As of next week, Sarnia will have public boat ramps again.

The City of Sarnia announced Friday the prolonged task of replacing the old Centennial Park four-ramp launch is near its end. The new version opens to the public April 26.

“We’re all excited about it,” said John Cowan with Needham’s Marine Limited in Sarnia.

Getting the 180-200 boats Needham’s stores on London Line into the water was a challenge last year with just the single ramp at Bridgeview Marina available, he said, also crediting Bridgeview for going above and beyond to fill the void left when the old launch was demolished in 2017 and efforts to build a new one were repeatedly stalled.

“The new ramps look great and we’re excited to start the new chapter,” Cowan said.

The old ramps were destroyed in January 2017 as part of the now-$13.5-million Centennial Park remediation and revamp project.

The plan had been to build the new ramps first, but that was abandoned when senior government and conservation authority officials required the seawall at Centennial Park's south be moved in 10 metres, city officials have said.

To get the rest of park remediation and redesign work done, the call was made to demolish first.

Link to the rest here.

Images. Zach Neal.

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Historic, North-End Steakhouse Gets New Life.

From the Lambton Shield.

Just a few months ago, Dean Frayne found himself driving near the corner of Michigan Ave. and Christina Street N. when he felt compelled to turn into the parking lot at one of Sarnia’s iconic restaurants, the Chipican. What caught his eye was a FOR SALE sign on a property that had enticed steak-loving customers for more than 60 years but which had been closed for a couple of years.

Frayne and his wife Laurie were already running the Court Cafe and Catering, a facility they were leasing at the Sarnia Courthouse, but they were looking for something a little bigger.

A few days later, Frayne got wind of another opportunity, that being the sale of contents at Razzers, a defunct restaurant in Corunna.

The Fraynes ended up with successful offers on both the Chipican property and the restaurant contents, leading them to put together a business plan and total renovation project for what will soon be Lake Point Grillhouse & Lounge, a 200-seat family restaurant that they expect to open later this

Link to the rest here.

Image. Zach Neal.

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Complete Streets: Guidelines for Safer Streets and Roads In Sarnia.

From Tyler Kula, Sarnia Observer.

Wider sidewalks on Lochiel Street and a bumped-out curb to make the crossing distance shorter for high-volume pedestrian traffic.

Paved shoulders on Waterworks Road.

Wider sections for bikes on Old Lakeshore Road.

They’re some examples of complete streets elements that already exist in Sarnia.

More could be on the way.

A guideline for road construction and refresh projects has been drawn up to guide how Sarnia approaches street layouts, keeping in mind safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

The guide, which also covers three-lane roads, driveway locations, sidewalk design and other tenets, is coming to city council May 28 for consideration.

Before then, city officials want the public to have their say.

The guide goes up on smartsarnia.com by the end of the week, a city spokesperson said.

Such a guide was called for in the city’s Transportation Master Plan, which characterizes complete streets as a way to shift from the decades-long focus on streets as a way to move cars, to streets as places that accommodate all different forms of transportation safely.

“It’s utilizing … what other municipalities are doing and taking the pieces that we think would work well within the city,” said Mike Berkvens, director of engineering with the City of Sarnia.

Groups like Lambton Public Health, the Sarnia Construction Association, Age-Friendly Sarnia and the Lambton Safe Roads Committee have backed the guide.

Link to the rest here.

Image. Google StreetView.

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Note. The complex shown above is the high-speed train-wreck waiting for a chance to happen that is the Capel St./Colborne Road area just south of the Highway 402 overpass. Identified as a high-traffic area in the bicycle usage study, there are also many senior citizens and children in the high-rises to the left of the photo. The pedestrian crossing into the popular Northgate Plaza should have illuminated crosswalks, and automobile traffic should be limited to 45-kph as a measure for public safety.

> Zach Neal for Wit Ventures.