Public consultation

By Trevor Greenway

What should the municipality of La Pêche do with turntable park in Wakefield?

Expand the swimming area? Renovate the washrooms? Remove the historic turntable or renovate it to become part of the visitor experience?

“We want to do this right,” La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux told the Low Down about the park that’s officially known as Parc Roquebrune. “It’s a super important park, so we want it to be welcoming, accessible and adapted to the needs of the community.” 

Lamoureux and council have launched an online public consultation to solicit ideas from residents on what they would like to see at the park in the future. Some of those options include: picnic areas, a space for community events, a playground for kids, a tourism information kiosk and renovated washrooms. The online survey also asks residents if they would like to see increased or decreased parking at the park. 

“We want to create a space that truly reflects the values and needs of our community,” said Lamoureux. “We invite everyone who uses the park or is interested in its future to share their ideas and vision.”

One thing is clear: La Pêche is not building a motorized boat launch as Chelsea Mayor Pierre Guénard suggested recently during a meeting on the closure of the Farm Point boat launch. However, the municipality is seeking the public’s input on what to do with the park, which already features a public beach and swimming area. 

Readers may recall our story this past spring, in which Wakefield resident Stanley Britton called on La Pêche to not “pave paradise” to increase parking at turntable park. Britton’s plan called for a renovation of the turntable, a new playground and a community stage for art shows and concerts. Britton was part of Wakefield’s Rail Heritage Advocacy Group, which is pushing to save the heritage of the steam train that used to roll through the village twice a week between May and October. 

When it comes to the train tracks, the options for the park’s redesign also leave La Pêche at a bit of a crossroads: Does the municipality rip up the train tracks throughout the village, remove the turntable altogether and install heritage plaques throughout the village to honour its history? Or, does the municipality incorporate the heritage tracks into a pathway design and renovate the turntable so it’s accessible to the public? 

“It’s one of our most visited municipal parks,” added Lamoureux. “We know it’s important, both for community members and visitors.”

Residents can access the online consultation via the municipal website at: https://lapecheconsulte.ca, and attend a public participatory workshop on Aug. 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Wakefield community centre. A consultation kiosk will also be installed at turntable park on Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where residents can take the survey and add their comments.