{"id":3428,"date":"2016-08-13T19:04:16","date_gmt":"2016-08-13T19:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/?p=3428"},"modified":"2017-02-22T22:33:15","modified_gmt":"2017-02-22T22:33:15","slug":"accessibility-planning-renovation-underway-on-actons-fairy-lake-dock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/accessibility-planning-renovation-underway-on-actons-fairy-lake-dock\/","title":{"rendered":"Accessibility Planning Renovation underway on Acton&#8217;s Fairy Lake dock"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"twitter-moment\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/i\/moments\/808418653603581956\">Fairy Lake Dock #Acton<\/a> <script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3452\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/FairyLakeConceptDrawing.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3452\" class=\"wp-image-3452 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/FairyLakeConceptDrawing-300x129.png\" alt=\"FairyLake Concept Drawing Acton \" width=\"300\" height=\"129\" data-wp-pid=\"3452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/FairyLakeConceptDrawing-300x129.png 300w, https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/FairyLakeConceptDrawing-1024x441.png 1024w, https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/FairyLakeConceptDrawing-1038x449.png 1038w, https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/FairyLakeConceptDrawing-800x345.png 800w, https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/FairyLakeConceptDrawing-600x259.png 600w, https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/FairyLakeConceptDrawing.png 1042w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3452\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Concept Drawing<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Halton Hills is conducting a <a title=\"Public Consultation Survey Prospect Park Fairy lake Dock\" href=\"http:\/\/www.surveymonkey.com\/r\/prospectdock\" target=\"_blank\">public consultation\u00a0survey\u00a0<\/a>and are interested in knowing more information regarding the current uses of the Fairy lake\u00a0dock, and what you would like to see in the future.\u00a0In response to your feedback from this survey, the Town of Halton Hills will be refining a concept and seek further input from interested residents before finalizing a plan.<\/p>\n<p>If you have any questions or concerns please contact:<\/p>\n<p>Mark Taylor &#8211; Senior Landscape Architect<br \/>\nTown of Halton Hills<br \/>\nRecreation &amp; Parks Department<br \/>\n1 Halton Hills Drive<br \/>\nHalton Hills (Georgetown), ON L7G 5G2<br \/>\nTel: 905-873-2601 ext. 2267<br \/>\nFax. 905-873-1587<br \/>\nemail: marktaylor@haltonhills.ca<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><small class=\"color printable-newspaper\">Independent Free Press<\/small><\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"bHeader\">By <a class=\"color printable-author\" href=\"http:\/\/www.insidehalton.com\/community-story\/6795340-accessibility-planning-renovation-underway-on-acton-s-fairy-lake-dock\/#\">Neil McKenzie-Sutter<\/a><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_3431\" style=\"width: 369px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IFParticlePhotoNaomiMcQuade.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3431\" class=\"wp-image-3431 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IFParticlePhotoNaomiMcQuade.jpg\" alt=\"IFP Article Fairy Lake\" width=\"359\" height=\"270\" data-wp-pid=\"3431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IFParticlePhotoNaomiMcQuade.jpg 359w, https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IFParticlePhotoNaomiMcQuade-300x226.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 359px) 100vw, 359px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3431\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Susan Jerome and her granddaughter Madison Jerome are pictured at Fairy Lake in Prospect Park in Acton recently, renting a canoe from Naomi McQuade.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Planning is underway to renovate the dock at <a title=\"Fairy Lake Prospect Park - 30 Park Avenue\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.ca\/maps\/place\/Fairy+Lake\/@43.6253867,-80.0530418,16z\/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x882b74ff383390e3:0x25cc10c99d0b082a!8m2!3d43.6258392!4d-80.0486025?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\">Fairy Lake in Prospect Park<\/a> in Acton so that people with wheelchairs or other physical disabilities can access the water safely.<\/p>\n<p>The updated dock comes as a result of an awareness campaign led by Naomi McQuade, the Holy Cow Canoe Company\u2019s general manager of Canoe Rentals.<\/p>\n<p>The Holy Cow Canoe Company offers watercraft rental services at Fairy Lake, and McQuade was made aware of the issue in summer 2015 when a wheelchair-bound patron was unable to participate in canoeing with his family because of the dock\u2019s rundown state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was a turning point for me,\u201d McQuade said. \u201cEveryone needs to enjoy the water. He shouldn\u2019t be left behind.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McQuade\u2019s awareness of barriers facing people with physical disabilities is heightened because she is a Lyme disease sufferer, which can leave her needing a cane or wheelchair for mobility.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKnowing the barriers in front of myself, I can really see and reflect on what other people see,\u201d McQuade said. \u201cIf I do end up in a wheelchair, I want to still enjoy working here as a disabled person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In summer\/fall 2015, McQuade started a social media campaign and wrote a letter to the Town of Halton Hills concerning the declining state of the dock, which attracted the Town\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat they\u2019re looking for as well is the ability for people in wheelchairs to be able to get into their canoes or kayaks, and do that either on their own or with minimal aid,\u201d said Mark Taylor, Senior Landscape Architect with the Town of Halton Hills. Taylor is leading the Town\u2019s Fairy Lake\u2019s dock renovation project.<\/p>\n<p>In the past, Fairy Lake\u2019s dock would have been more accessible seeing as, instead of having steps, it features an asphalt ramp leading down to a flat dock at the waterline. Today, however, both the dock and ramp have deteriorated so much that they are becoming unnavigable for people with physical disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>The Town is already planning more than a renovation, however.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to modifying the shoreline and improving access to the dock via the parking lot, Taylor also talked specifically about building a \u2018launching ramp,\u2019 a device that would improve safe access to the lake for people with physical disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s trying to look at alternative styles to just the traditional dock that you\u2019d see up in cottage country,\u201d said Taylor. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to find something that works much better than what\u2019s there right now, and certainly serves to make the area accessible, wheelchair accessible, and then also serves to give the waterfront area there a facelift,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n<p>Some of this research has included looking at examples of other accessible docks, especially the new dock accessible dock\/kayak launch in Beaverton, Ont.<\/p>\n<p>Taylor is planning for the new dock with McQuade and Holy Cow Canoe because the company has interests in the project, but the Town is also open to working with other people or organizations and financial partnerships with interested parties.<\/p>\n<p>Taylor says the town could begin construction in spring\/summer 2017, but planning is still on-going.<\/p>\n<p>For more info email marktaylor@haltonhills.ca<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Accessibility Planning Underway - Community story\" href=\"http:\/\/www.insidehalton.com\/community-story\/6795340-accessibility-planning-renovation-underway-on-acton-s-fairy-lake-dock\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.insidehalton.com\/community-story\/6795340-accessibility-planning-renovation-underway-on-acton-s-fairy-lake-dock\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n<div class=\"twitter-share\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?via=holycowcanoe\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-size=\"large\">Tweet<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fairy Lake Dock #Acton Halton Hills is conducting a public consultation\u00a0survey\u00a0and are interested in knowing more information regarding the current uses of the Fairy lake\u00a0dock, and what you would like to see in the future.\u00a0In response to your feedback from&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3431,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[417,388,329,67,412,415,252,411,2,240,382,80,222,119,1,66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fairy-lake","category-funding","category-lyme","category-nature","category-new-paddler","category-ontario-sites","category-outdoors-2","category-paddlehouse","category-customercanoes","category-photos","category-programs","category-rentals","category-safety-2","category-thank-you","category-uncategorized","category-where-to-paddle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3428"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3433,"href":"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3428\/revisions\/3433"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holycowcanoe.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}