Deal reached for floodplain

London Free Press Sat, August 23, 2008

By MARY-JANE EGAN

Months of see-saw negotiations between the city and a landowner have paid off for nature lovers with the city's purchase this week of what's often described as an environmental gem in the heart of the city. "We are very excited this deal has been reached," an ecstatic Jaclyn Goodwillie, project manager of aquatic rehabilitation for Friends of the Coves Subwatershed Inc., said yesterday of the deal in which the city bought four hectares of environmentally sensitive floodplain along the Coves for $204,000. "We've been putting pressure on city council for so long about this but we weren't sure this day would ever come." The land is south of Springbank Drive and west of Orchard Street and runs along the east bank of East Cove Pond -- one of the three U-shaped ponds that formed years ago when the Thames briefly strayed south. The city and landowner Les Bachorz of Scarborough-based Chata Holdings Ltd., had been quibbling for months over the price. Bachorz's lawyer recently dismissed a city offer of $5,500 as "laughable." A small street-facing parcel along Orchard was rezoned for development and was maintained by Bachorz but the land the city acquired in a closed-door session Monday will ensure public access to the coveted area. "This is a very important part of the Coves for us and while it took some time to come to a price that was affordable, this will preserve an area that otherwise might have seen some type of development," said Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best. "I am very happy council supported this." Coun. Nancy Branscombe credited Coun. David Winninger as "the heart and soul" behind the push to acquire the land. "He realized, as we did, that there have been opportunities in the past where council missed the boat; where land came available and we said we didn't need it and then years go by and we're kicking ourselves we didn't get it while we had the chance," said Branscombe. "I think this would have been a classic example, if we hadn't done what we did. I am thrilled." Winninger, whose ward includes the property, said he's "overjoyed." "I've grown to know the area well and I recognize what a unique jewel it is in our green space and wetlands system," he said. The announcement of the purchase was to be a highlight at today's annual meeting of Friends of the Coves. "This property has always been a top priority," Goodwillie said, noting it's rich in diverse wildlife and flora and contains a small wetland, a wet meadow and a wooded slope and lowland area featuring a pure stand of black walnut trees considered rare in the province. "It's unbelievable. It is still so pristine considering its lack of protection until now," she added. While the property has always been in private hands, it's a popular hiking trail. "People had been trespassing all these years so we're very excited now that we can make sure the area is properly managed," Goodwillie said. She said Friends of the Coves also are grateful to the Old South Community Organization (OSCO), which helped keep pressure on council to preserve the land against development. Both groups had at one point offered to put up money to assist in the purchase.