Sarnia's mayor says there's been an encouraging amount of community input on the waterfront master plan so far.
Mike Bradley said city council will be updated on its progress Monday.
"The public wants a balance of active and passive programming, they'd like to see general improvements along the waterfront, they'd like to have the ability to socialize and have a drink and have a meal along the waterfront, they want to see more connections between the waterfront and downtown, which has been a goal of the city for quite some time," Bradley said.
But, the mayor adds, the public wants to make sure the waterfront is still protected.
"They want to preserve the public access and the openness and the greenery. That's a good combination and it's workable for council to make improvements where we think we can enhance public use, and at the same time, look at the long term future."
Bradley said the new kayak launch has been a big success.
"There are possibilities of doing another one, south on the waterfront, perhaps at Ferry Dock Hill. Those types of activities, which are publicly accessible, are important and they do enhance activity on the waterfront, which is what we all want."
Bradley said the waterfront's season for activity, generally spanning six months, must be kept in mind.
"When you're looking at significant investment and trying to attract it from the private sector for public uses, they have to look at the economics of doing it, and that's always been a big challenge in the past."
Meantime, Mayor Bradley also wants to start planning enhancements for the Lake Huron shoreline.
He's asking council to consider starting another waterfront report focusing on the area from Canatara Park to Bright's Grove.
An initial survey posted on Speak Up Sarnia received over 1,600 responses and over 200 people attended a pop up consultation at the waterfront July 3.
