Glen Gower, Councilor for Stittsville Ward 6, is a life-long volunteer in public service who firmly believes in the importance of building a healthy environment in a community.
On Wednesday, October 02nd, Councilor Gower presented to Stittsville Rotarians the following 6 priorities for his ward that provide direction for his activities:
1. Transportation: Stittsville is growing rapidly with the anticipated construction of approximately 9,600 new homes in the next 10 years and transportation infrastructure projects are not keeping pace with development. Councilor Gower continues to advocate for the advancement of necessary road projects, e.g. completion of Robert Grant Ave and upgrade of Carp Road.
2. Investing in Transit: Residents of Stittsville continue to experience challenges related to transit reliability and gaps in the local bus route network. Stage 3 in the city plan must secure new ways and investments to bring the LRT to the west end of the city.
3. Stittsville Main Street Project: Stittsville’s historic core distinguishes it from other communities and it must be developed further. His plan will focus on physical infrastructure, economic initiatives & new businesses as well as animation and programming, e.g. films & farmer’s markets. A fall planning meeting will include residents, village business owners and service organizations (and our own Rotary club).
4. Schools: While education is a mandate of the province, there is pressure in Stittsville due to the rapid growth of the area. Changes are needed since the master plan was developed without the expectation of such growth, especially in the Fernbank area.
5. Traffic safety: Three initiatives address concerns for safety in the neighborhoods including a) working with Ottawa Police to share resident concerns and advocate for increased enforcement efforts, b) engineering & road design to identify safety improvements, c) education, increased awareness and leadership to create safer driving habits.
6. Community involvement & engagement: Encourage and support the involvement of residents in community service projects.