Grey Highlands council has asked Grey County to reconsider a decision to cease snowplowing of a county-owned parking lot just outside of downtown Markdale.
At its meeting on Jan. 15, council passed a resolution requesting county council to take a look at the situation. The parking lot is located on County Road 12, just outside of downtown Markdale and is immediately adjacent to the county’s CP Rail Trail, which is a popular snowmobiling attraction that is a gateway to snowmobiling trails throughout the county.
This year, the county stopped plowing the parking lot next to the trail. Local snowmobilers approached Grey Highlands council to express concerns about the lack of winter maintenance at the parking lot.
“It is used by a lot of riders from out of town,” said Mark Thompson, a member of the local snowmobile club. “We generate a lot of revenue for local businesses.”
Thompson said the parking lot next to the Rail Trail is a popular starting point for snowmobilers from all over the province. He said with the amount of snow this year, Markdale has been a magnet for out-of-town snowmobilers. With the parking lot being left uncleared of snow, the main concern is visiting snowmobilers will park in other areas near the trail – including local streets, a nearby area owned by Chapman’s Ice Cream and at the Grey Highlands fire department, located not far from the county lot.
Later in the meeting, in a unanimous vote, council passed a resolution to request Grey County reconsider the decision to end snowplowing of the lot.
“People have always been coming to that parking lot to unload their machines,” said Mayor Paul McQueen. “It’s a staging area.”
Deputy Mayor Dane Nielsen, who sits on county council with McQueen, said the decision to end snowplowing on the property was as much a logistical decision as a financial one. Nielsen said the county’s plow trucks are not suitable to service the lot and, as a result, the county had to hire private contractors to plow the lot. Nielsen said the service cost $10,000 a year. Nielsen agreed that the decision should be reconsidered.
“It’s worth the mayor and myself bringing this up at the county,” he said.
