Newmarket Rannie Road resident Marnie Clark did not expect to have a new pathway in her neighbourhood.
But the municipality installed a new connection between Rita’s Avenue and McCaffrey Road this summer, providing a direct walking link between the subdivision's George Luesby Park and nearby Ray Twinney Recreation Complex.
“This was just hinterland, you were on your own,” she said of the area before the installation of the path. “It’s great. It’s been a long time coming with the building of these houses.”
Area residents and council members welcomed the installation of the new paved pathway in the last month. The path goes through a grassy area also containing a hydro tower and nothing else.
Ward 7 Councillor Christina Bisanz said the paved path has been requested by residents for many years, and she was delighted to finally have it in place.
“It was wonderful to see. I wasn’t expecting it quite yet,” she said. “There was some pretty good negotiations with Ontario Hydro to enable us to do that. It’s a well-used path. A lot of students use that route to get to Sir William Mulock (Secondary School).
The path comes as the town has also worked on road reconstruction in the area this summer, including repairing curbs and sidewalks. The municipality opted against a sidewalk along Rannie based on previous feedback.
Resident Paula Migiloranza said the new path is a perfect place for a walk, and she would previously circumnavigate a longer distance to stroll through the neighbourhood.
“I love the path,” she said. “I’m sure everybody’s pretty happy about it. Who wouldn’t be? … This is a nice shortcut.”
Bisanz said many in the community would walk right across the grassy hill without a path, getting muddy feet in the process.
“It’s a wonderful, wide, accessible path,” she said. “I just wanted to thank staff for finally making that dream come true.”
