2026 COMMUNITY GRANTS PAGE
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St. Marys Independent
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St. Marys Independent 36 Water St. S., St. Marys ON | 519.284.0041 | info@stmarysindependent.com | www.stmarysindy.com
Issue #1303
Thursday, March 5, 2026
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GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
consultation, including the work of a racket-sports ad-hoc committee comprising representatives from the pickleball association and the St. Marys Tennis Club, and direction stemming from the town’s Recreation, Culture and Leisure Master Plan. “We were thinking the next steps in the process would be that we would take it to Upper Thames (River Conservation Authority) to determine what approvals and permitting
St. Marys council has reversed course on its previous decision to remove all concrete structures at the West Quarry, voting recently to retain and fence off the site’s six large industrial pillars as part of this year’s cleanup and revitalization work. The decision came as council received an update on the West Quarry enhancement project at its Feb. 24 regular meeting. The staff report presented to council by director of public works Jed Kelly and cultural services manager Amy Cubberley outlines cleanup plans for 2026 and addresses motions brought forward last November regarding the fate of the pillars following presentations by local historians on the importance of preserving the structures as visual reminders of the town’s industrial past. “(Infrastructure services manager) Jeff (Wolfe) and I have been working on this since the delegation in November,” Cubberley told council. “One of the recommendations out of that was to look at the smaller (concrete structures) and whether those could be saved or preserved in some way. So, Jeff and I did a walkthrough of the site and did take an inventory. There are 19 smaller remnants down there and our opinion is that none of those can viably be saved. “Some of the concerns we had was the geo-
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COLDEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR
(JAYNE FULLER PHOTO)
More than $50,000 was raised for essential local programs in Saturday night’s Coldest Night of the Year fundraising walk thanks to the efforts of 157 walkers, 29 teams and 37 volunteers. Turn to page 8 for a story and more photos.
Council moves ahead with Water Street racket-court expansion despite tree-removal concerns KARATE
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St. Marys council opts to retain, fence off large West Quarry pillars as cleanup moves ahead
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GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
Despite concerns from the St. Marys Pickleball Association about public perception should there be a loss of trees and green space at the Water Street courts, St. Marys council voted Feb. 24 to proceed with plans to expand the existing facility rather than begin searching for alternative sites. Council’s decision followed months of
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