Phillip Blancher seeking seat as South Dundas councillor

What was suppose to be a leisurely flight became anything but for Graham Lake resident Greg Burgess. Burgess flew the Volks plane that crashed into the St. Lawrence River west of Iroquois beach on August […]

Forty years ago Helping Hands of Matilda was formed, and Corrie Byker was there.

Byker, pictured left, has been part of the organization since day one, and still attends the monthly meeting of the seniors group regularly. 

She was among the 75 members and guests who were at the December 5 holiday luncheon, which featured a special turkey dinner catered by the Iroquois Legion Ladies, followed by an afternoon of entertainment.

Byker recalled the first time the Helping Hands met. “We started in the fall of ‘72. Mrs. Leverdink was the president and I was part of the kitchen committee that looked after the meal and refreshments.”

The group has changed over the years, but it remains today a regular place for seniors to gather and socialize. “I have always liked it,” said Byker.

“When it first started it mas more about making crafts that we sold,” said Byker, recalling that they later met and invited guest speakers to help the group learn about things they were interested in.

The group has always recognized members anniversaries and birthdays, and now enjoys a potluck meal at their monthly meetings, which take place the first Wednesday of every month.

“The potluck works really good,” says Byker. 

Anyone over 50 is welcome to attend any meeting. They can join in the meal by bringing something to share with the other club members.

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Nicole Sullivan, South Dundas Economic Development Officer, recommended to council at the January 17th meeting that directional signage be purchased for both the South Dundas Dog Park and the Iroquois Locks.

After hearing Sullivan’s recommendation and reasoning, council agreed to the purchase of six signs.

The South Dundas Dog Park in Morrisburg will have three signs in the following locations:  County Road 2 directing West bound traffic; County Road 2 directing East bound traffic; and, County Road 31 directing South bound traffic.

The Iroquois Locks will also have three signs. The locations for these are: County Road 2 directing West bound traffic; County Road 2 directing East bound traffic; and, County Road 1 (Carman Road) directing South bound traffic.

Each sign comes at a cost of $335. In addition, the township will need to rent the sign space. This is done through a membership fee of $75 per year in the County Tourism Signage Program administered by Seaway Valley Tourism.

In total, the cost of the new directional signage will be $2,085 for 2012. 

Sullivan’s recommendation, she said, “comes out of discussions with the Park Pals committee and feedback from the community about directing people to the Iroquois Locks.”

In her report, she referred to the township’s 2005 Strategic Economic Development Plan and two of it’s recommendations. “Both of these recommendations,” she reported, “aim to enrich the experience of visitors to South Dundas. This will result in extended stays, repeat visits and ultimately, greater benefits to the local economy.”

“I fully support signs for the Iroquois Locks,” said Councillor Evonne Delegarde. She was concerned, however, in the many other attractions at the waterfront that could benefit from directional signage, other than the dog park.

During an interview on January 23rd, Sullivan told The Leader that “signage is imperative when people are in your community.” In addition to making the experience more pleasurable, it “also grabs people who might not have been aware” of the attractions in the first place.

“We’re always looking for ways to enrich the visitor’s trip. We’re looking for things to add on to their visit,” she explained. “The longer someone is in the community, the bigger the contribution to the local economy.”

“Recognizing that,” she continued, “one of my goals is a signage review.” The review will begin by compiling a list of all the attractions South Dundas has to offer.

“It won’t be something we can do in one year,” said Sullivan. “Once we look at the whole scope of attractions, that’s when we can start prioritizing.”

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