By Connie Tabbert
Editor
COBDEN — Tourism is a big industry in Whitewater Region Township, so detour signs should be used when a road to a major tourist facility is closed, noted a councillor at yesterday’s public works committee meeting.
Chief Administrative Officer Christine FitzSimons noted while at the recent Relay for Life event in Beachburg, a washout occurred on Grants Settlement Road, forcing its partial closure. Public works assistant Sandra Moss was at the event and suggested since the road was closed, there should be detour signs, of which there are few in the township.
Public works manager Bill Misener said he made the decision to put up barricades to ensure the safety of people rather than spend hours putting up detour signs, since the road would be repaired the next day.
However, Councillor Daryl McLaughlin disagreed. He noted about 80 people were coming into the rafting companies and some were affected by the washout. Using their GPS to get to their destination, a closed road without detour signs hindered them, he said. Those tourists coming in at 10, 11, or 12 o’clock at night would have no idea how to get around a closed road using only their GPS, and most of them do not carry maps, he added.
For the local people, a closed road is no problem, because they would know how to get around it, he said.
“Our business right now is tourism,” Coun. McLaughlin said. “Someone coming from Toronto would not know how to get around a closed road without detour signs. That is just not professional for us.”
The rafting company mostly affected by the closure put up little signs advising how to get around the closure, he said.
It was agreed it would remain up to Mr. Misener to determine if detour signs are necessary and he agreed to fit the purchase of detour signs in next year’s budget.
