Friends of the Roxborough Greenbelt, co-chaired by Naomi Grant and Shirley Johnston and supported by 300 residents, want to preserve much of a three-hectare piece of wilderness near downtown Sudbury.
“Our area, the Roxborough Greenbelt, is bordered by
Kingsmount Blvd. and Riverside Dr. and running from Winchester Dr.
to Junction Creek. It is beautiful and very wild,” says
Grant, a long-term resident.
Dalron owns the property, and although the company intends on
developing part of it, they are open to selling the rest, says
Grant.
Friends of the Roxborough Greenbelt is in the process of asking
people to pledge financial resources to help raise funds to buy the
remaining property.
Grant’s group is also appealing to the City
of Greater Sudbury to help them buy this land to create a public
natural park.
“We hope that Greater Sudbury’s politicians
partner with us to help us save this green space for
everybody’s benefit, to hold it in trust as a nature
reserve,” she says.
Grant thinks this is more than a neighbourhood concern.
“In terms of being significant city wide, the
Roxborough Greenbelt is a 10-minute walk from the downtown
along the Trans Canada Trail system that is being worked
on by Rainbow Routes. And it also links to the Junction Creek
Waterway Park system. Part of the identity of Greater Sudbury is
the emphasis on our natural beauty within our city borders-our
lakes and our trails. Saving this area dovetails with what we are
trying to do as a whole community.
“Green areas within cities are crucial for healthy
living. If trails are available to people, they will use them and
get the exercise they need to be healthy.
“It is up to all of us, residents, community and business leaders, to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity for our city and to make it happen. They can do so by voicing their support to city council and by making a financial pledge or donation towards the acquisition of the land as a public park,” says Grant. For more information on the Roxborough Greenbelt, send an e-mail to [email protected] or visit www.friendsofthegreenbelt.net.
