Bridging the divide in Fenelon Falls over proposed pedestrian walkway

The Fenelon Falls District Chamber of Commerce held a well-attended meeting recently to unveil potential plans for a new pedestrian walkway across the river, downstream of the falls.

The FFDCC received funds for investigation, preliminary engineering, and design through the Fenelon Falls Powerlinks Reserve Fund, a municipal account funded via local hydro generation revenues and managed by the City of Kawartha Lakes.

The proposed location is at the base of Clifton Street, but there was strong support among attendees for the existing train bridge west of the locks to become a year-round land link.

Chris Handley, who moderated the meeting and acts on both the Powerlinks committee and the chamber’s waterfront improvement committee sees the bridge as a key asset for the entire community.

“This isn’t simply a project directed at boaters. The bridge was presented as being the first element of a potentially much larger plan to help expose the natural beauty of the lower gorge area in Fenelon Falls.”

Suggestions included better connections with current infrastructure, upgrades at Clifton Park, and most importantly, more docking along the Fenelon River, he said. While the 700 feet of docking added more than 10 years ago made Fenelon Falls popular with boaters, it also highlighted the need for additional docks on the Sturgeon Lake side of the lock.

He explained that the bridge, estimated to cost $960,000, offers several key benefits for residents, including creating a pathway for children walking to Langton Public School that avoids the intersection of County Rd 8 and Colborne St.

Handley notes that the bridge could be paid in full without tax dollars. “The project team anticipates the use of PowerLinks reserve funds, and leveraging outside funding opportunities will mean the bridge can be built without any impact on the taxpayer.”

The location takes advantage of city-owned land on both sides of the river and is at one of the narrowest spans from north to south banks. The prefabricated 60 metre steel bowstring pedestrian bridge with concrete deck can accommodate an ambulance or maintenance vehicle when required.

Following the presentation, Handley lead a question-and-answer period. Resident concerns ranged from ATV noise to people jumping from the bridge like they do the cliffs, to snow removal responsibilities, to firework debris landing on it at the conclusion of Santa Day activities.

Judy Beall generated the loudest crowd support when she asked why the swing bridge could not be modified to provide a year-round pedestrian link.

“Basically my thinking is why build new when we have the infrastructure in place? It is no different than our focus today on recycling rather than always buying or building new. The current pedestrian bridge is closed for six months of the year for tourists. Why can’t a small portion of this bridge be redesigned so there is a higher walkway? Or operate the current bridge as a swing bridge. It’s great that this new pedestrian bridge is totally funded but why not spend the $900,000 to make our current bridge even better.”

She added the bridge also goes to an ideal location – where the beach, museum, locks and the businesses are just a block away. She argued some of the $900,000 could be used for new docking along the gorge and steps up to Clifton Street, while the rest of the money could be used into making adjustments to a bridge that already exists “so it can be open all year for our residents.”

Handley responded by saying, “the swing bridge is absolutely a key asset in the community and we would love to see it better utilized in the summer months.”

He noted that Powerlinks and the FFDCC have tried for a long time, advocating with the Trent Severn Waterway and the city, to see the train bridge staffed and operating during the peak season.

“Unfortunately neither body has prioritized that idea.” Handley encouraged attendees to include comments about the rail bridge on their feedback for the project.

“You can just imagine the attraction of coming to Fenelon Falls and watching the bridge swing,” he added. “It very neatly draws together our history (of) logging, rail, waterway. Such an obvious opportunity in a sea of greater priorities.”

Of the many benefits the committee sees coming from the project, MaryLee Boston from the Fenelon Chamber feels the most important is “the opportunity to invest in a transportation asset that will be a building block for future waterfront improvements and provide an alternate pedestrian travel route during road construction projects.”

Handley adds, “importantly, it is a conscious effort to make downtown Fenelon more attractive (and) accessible to visitors…that doesn’t contribute to existing traffic congestion.”

Once public comments are reviewed, the next step is to finalize the design, and then secure permits and approvals. A comment card is available at the FFDCC website, and input will be accepted until Aug. 21. Emails can also be sent directly to .