Part 1: Benson Park Plan, Transit Growth, and Housing Priorities — 09/28/2023
- PECConnect
- Sep 28, 2023
- 4 min read
The County Committee of the Whole met on September 28, 2023, at Shire Hall in Picton to work through a wide-ranging agenda that touched on community support programs, a major downtown park redesign, transit services, and the County’s response to provincial housing policy.
The meeting was chaired by Councillor Corey Engelsdorfer, and brought together most members of Council along with senior County staff. Throughout the afternoon, discussion stayed focused on how County services are evolving and how future investments should be prioritized, especially where safety, accessibility, and affordability are concerned.
View the entire PEC Council Meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes>
Supporting Children and Families Across the County
The meeting opened with a deputation from Melanie Cressman, Executive Director of The Children’s Foundation, who spoke about the Foundation’s role in supporting children and youth across the County, Hastings, and Northumberland. She walked Council through the Foundation’s programs, which range from subsidizing sports and recreation to providing mental health supports, post secondary bursaries, and infant safety equipment.
Cressman also highlighted the growing pressure families are facing due to rising living costs and explained how programs like Playing for Keeps, Camps of Hope, and Reach for Success help reduce barriers for kids who would otherwise miss out.
Particular attention was given to the Angel Tree program, which supports families during the holiday season. Councillors asked questions about recent changes to how that program operates and expressed concern about ensuring vulnerable families in the County do not fall through the cracks as demand increases elsewhere in the region.
The deputation concluded with a request for County participation in Dress Purple Day on October 27, a public awareness campaign focused on child safety and community responsibility.
A Long Term Vision for Benson Park
A significant portion of the meeting focused on a presentation by Scott Wentworth, Senior Landscape Architect and President, who introduced a preliminary master plan for Benson Park in Picton. The park has seen increased use in recent years and contains aging playground equipment that no longer meets safety standards.
Wentworth outlined a vision that emphasizes inclusive and accessible play, improved sightlines, and a layout that encourages shared use by children, adults, and seniors. Proposed features include new playground equipment designed for all abilities, fitness elements for different age groups, improved pathways, added seating, and a central event space anchored by a gazebo.
Council discussion reflected a range of perspectives. Some councillors questioned whether fitness equipment belonged in a park, while others supported the idea as a way to encourage active use by all ages. Accessibility, unstructured play space, vandalism prevention, tree retention, and the park’s location within a heritage district were all raised as important considerations.
Following the presentation, Council formally received the master plan and endorsed it as a guiding document. A separate motion directed staff to bring forward a funding request for Phase 1 playground improvements as part of the 2024 capital budget.
Transit Services and Growing Ridership
Council also reviewed a County Transit Update presented by staff, which outlined the status of both conventional and specialized transit services operated by Quinte Access Transportation. The report noted that while specialized transit ridership has not fully rebounded since the pandemic, overall usage is increasing, with conventional transit seeing notable year over year growth.
Discussion covered service reliability, safety policies such as anti idling provisions, and the importance of vulnerable sector checks for drivers. Councillors also debated how County Transit fits alongside the privately operated Uride service. As a result, Council directed staff to bring back a separate report on U Ride before the 2024 budget so its role and level of municipal support can be more clearly evaluated.
Council then approved extending the County’s agreement with Quinte Access Transportation and confirmed its ongoing financial commitment to public transit as a condition of continued provincial funding.
Weighing in on Housing Affordability
The final major item involved correspondence from the provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, asking municipalities to identify their top five priorities from the Housing Affordability Task Force recommendations. This led to a detailed discussion about what tools would actually help smaller communities like the County.
Councillors weighed issues such as development financing, appeal processes, workforce training, and long term affordability protections. After debate, Council agreed on five recommendations to send forward, including support for loan guarantees for affordable housing projects, improved training for skilled trades, innovative homeownership pathways, and measures to reduce delay caused by appeals.
Key Takeaways
Benson Park is moving toward a major redesign, with safety, accessibility, and visibility driving the plan, but funding decisions will come later through the budget process.
County Transit use is growing, and Council reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining transit services while taking a closer look at how public and private transportation options work together.
The County has formally weighed in on provincial housing policy, focusing on tools that support affordability, workforce development, and faster delivery of housing rather than one size fits all solutions.
Together, these discussions show how Council is balancing immediate safety and service needs with longer term planning for growth and affordability across the County.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 2:13:27. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.
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