Civil and Municipal - Mar 2023

121 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3 MEAFORD, ONTARIO finalizing some other bridges in the rural area. Our bridges are vital to the agricultural community in providing linkages for the delivery of goods.” Clumpus reveals that over the past three years, the repair and maintenance of three bridges in the downtown area have adversely affected its economic growth by stymieing local truck and tourist traffic. “Since then, we’ve rebounded and that has been welcome to see. There have been significant new, independent entrepreneurs coming into the area and that is creating some much-needed buzz downtown.” In fact, Meaford has some local successes to brag about. A former dairy business downtown was converted into a bicycle repair shop with apartments for short-term accommodations, and a new boutique hotel is coming. “That will bring traffic into the downtown core and provide local jobs,” Clumpus notes. “About a year ago, we finished up and moved into our new library facility. And there was a very exciting redevelopment of a former grocery store on the main street. It’s now a very vibrant space that’s used significantly by the community. It provides a real anchor to the downtown area of the Municipality.” Another recent plus was the December 2022 expansion of peopleCare Meaford’s Long Term Care facility. The finished home now provides 51 new and 77 upgraded beds for a total of 128. The operator, peopleCare Communities Inc., is planning to construct additional housing at this site in the future, such as retirement living and assisted living to be part of a “campus of care” to ensure that residents can continue to live in the same location as their care needs change. “They have a very innovative approach to senior care and I think that this is something that is going to bode very well for our small community, going forward,” says Clumpus. “We have a very large senior population in our community.” Understanding the needs of the greater