Grey County will consider the possibility of plowing a parking lot in Markdale that is popular with snowmobilers from all over the province.
At county council’s meeting on Jan. 23, Grey Highlands Mayor Paul McQueen brought a notice of motion to have county staff take another look at a decision to discontinue plowing a parking lot just outside downtown Markdale.
The lot is a popular parking area for snowmobilers visiting the area and concerns about the lack of snowplowing have recently been expressed to Grey Highlands council.
“It’s a staging area for all over Grey County,” said McQueen, noting that the parking lot is immediately beside the popular and county-owned CP Rail Trail.
Grey Highlands council recently passed a resolution asking the county to reconsider the decision to no longer plow the lot.
This year, the county ceased plowing the parking lot due to the costs. The lot cannot be plowed by county snow plow equipment, which requires a separate private snowplow contractor to be hired to do the work.
McQueen said the volume of snow the local area has received this winter has made the local snowmobile trails extremely popular with visiting snowmobilers. McQueen said local restaurants in Markdale are full and local gas stations are busy. The rail trail is a popular gateway trail that leads to other trails all over the county.
He said a prime concern with the lot not being plowed is that snowmobilers will park their vehicles and trailers elsewhere including on local streets and possibly at the nearby fire department.
“People will still come,” said McQueen.
In his notice of motion, McQueen asked for staff to consider options for possibly resuming plowing of the lot.
Scott Taylor, the county’s director of planning, said staff could take another look at the issue if directed to by county council.
“County staff is happy to look into this further,” said Taylor, who said the budget for plowing the lot had been eliminated in 2025 because of the costs. “Those costs were growing.”
Taylor said the county has received comments and concerns from the public about the lot not being plowed. He added that county staff would also have conversations with Grey Highlands staff about collaborating on a solution to the issue.