Trent Hills – Trent Hills Mayor Hector Macmillan and Crowe Valley Conservation Authority board chair Suzanne Partridge gripped the heavy-duty bolt cutters and bore down on the chain that has kept the gate to the Crowe Bridge Park and Conservation Area closed for three years.

At the sound of the first link parting the area residents, councillors and conservation authority staff and board members who had gathered around the gate Saturday applauded and cheered, happy to see the gates swing aside after a long struggle to keep the park in public hands and reopen it to visitors.

“We never want to see a lock on this gate again,” shouted Macmillan, who stressed that it is now up to the people who use the park to ensure the entire conservation area is treated with respect.

“This land is our land. And it is up to us to look after this land in the spirit of the conservation authority and to keep our eyes open and be vigilant of those who may not respect it like we would. So treat it like it’s your own, help us look after it.”

Macmillan said the park is being reopened “with a little help from our friends,” referring in part to the Friends of the Crowe Bridge Park, a group formed after the CVCA declared the park surplus and news spread that it could be put up for sale. The Friends were even able to commission a study of the park and its features and uses, along with options for keeping it open, thanks to a grant from the Campbellford-Seymour Community Foundation.

Finally the CVCA approached Trent Hills and an agreement was signed, leasing the property to the municipality for year at the cost of $1. Trent Hills will keep the park open and provide basic maintenance, and the agreement will be reviewed when it expires.

Partridge said the CVCA board of directors is pleased that the park will not be kept closed.

“We are thrilled that Trent Hills is going to operate it,” she said.

Friends of the Crowe Bridge Park chair Shirley Patterson called the May 22 grand reopening “a wonderful, wonderful day” as she watched people walk down to the river and line up for free hamburgers and hotdogs while local performers provided music to celebrate the event.

“I laid awake last night thinking that this is something I have dreamed about, and to have it actually happen, it’s almost surreal.”

Patterson, who is also involved in promoting local musicians through the annual country music showdown in Havelock, said Crowe Bridge Park is an ideal setting for music events. Concerts at the park could be a source of revenue for future projects involving the property, she said.

“I think this is great for council and for the municipality,” said Trent Hills Coun. Bill White, who sits on the CVCA board. “We’ve been trying to get this opened up. I think people need this recreation area. I don’t think we should let it get into private hands.”

CVCA board member Jim Martin, who represents Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township at the board, said the opening of the park “seems to have been a long time coming.” But he said he is pleased to see the gates gates open and the issue set to rest, at least for the time being.

“It seems like that’s all we’ve been talking about over the last few years at the authority. But now we can start looking at other things.”

Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Reeve Ron Gerow commended Trent Hills for showing leadership and making the opening of the park a reality. “Because it would have been a great loss to see it sold and for it not to be here for the use of the residents of the area. I think the conservation authority has made the right decision, because as we move forward places like this will become more important because there will be fewer and fewer of them all the time.”

Trent Hills community services officer Scott Rose said municipal staff graded the parking lots, repaired picnic tables, closed and secured the park’s existing buildings and put up signs in preparation for the opening and the summer ahead. Some of the signs are safety signs, with the property’s municipal address included in case someone requires emergency services, he said.

The municipality has also brought in portable toilets for the convenience of visitors, Rose said. And municipal staff will provide “basic, bare-bones” maintenance services, including cutting the grass and picking up garbage to ensure people can come to the park and enjoy themselves, he said.