Clear thinking only way to clarify the future

If you’re going to look ahead and predict how 2007 will shake out for the Town of Windsor, it’s worthwhile to offer a glance back as well.

There’s no question Windsor is on the cusp of a resurgence. The twinning of Highway 101 will create a conduit that combines rural and urban economies into a single engine that should drive prosperity on numerous fronts.

Windsor is uniquely positioned between Halifax and the Annapolis Valley, steeped in agricultural tradition, but able to reference a more cosmopolitan environment in about 30 minutes, and vice-versa.

Thus you’ll see a lot more interchange between what’s rural and urban within the town, and we wonder if the former will be sacrificed for the latter in the quest for sustainable riches.

Municipal councillors – much like their confreres in Kings County – will likely have their hands full grappling with the sticky issues surrounding the preservation of agricultural land and its sacrifice in deference to development.

It’s really a Catch-22 of overriding proportions. If the town wishes to capitalize on its geography and take full advantage of all that twinning will afford, it will necessarily have to come to terms with agricultural land issues.

If it fails to do so, there are those in Windsor who envision paradise lost while dickering over perceived fealty to a rural way of life. Indeed, they might say that the glitter of developers’ gold might very well disappear if the investment climate isn’t amenable.

As well, with such expansion and potential conflict on the horizon, how will the town adapt to what we see as a brave new world?

Some organizations, like the Hants Aquatic Society, must’ve had a crystal ball when mounting a proposal for a new pool.

Talk about timing. In any situation where you have projects like Mill Island, for example - which will bring status, cash and city workers who want to live in the country – recreation becomes a key attraction.

If you don’t have a solid infrastructure that encourages a well-rounded lifestyle experience, you’ve missed the boat. Enter the Aquatic Society with an ambitious plan scheduled to reach fruition in July 2007.

The $1.8 million facility “will be built with every citizen in mind: young and old, for families, for those who are fit and for those who face challenges,� Hants Aquatic Society co-chair Andrew Kirk told Windsor Council last fall.

Add to this the fact that Windsor is the birthplace of hockey, home of the world’s largest pumpkins, the highest tides and the oldest annual Agricultural Fair (1764) in Canada and you must admit; there’s plenty to recommend the place.

Small wonder we should expect the world to come knocking. However, that won’t happen without a concentrated effort.

It’s incumbent on politicians of all stripes, citizens and volunteers to work hard to deliver what is clearly a very positive message. If they don’t, Windsor will be the most well-kept secret in Nova Scotia and we suspect that’s something the business community has combated for years and wants to change.

With myriad museums, community-based cultural and artistic groups like Mermaid Theatre and Quick as a Wink Theatre, golf courses, Martock ski hill to the south, development requests, a solid agrarian economic base in addition to what we’ve highlighted, who wouldn’t want to get onboard and share the ride?

That’s a question that will loom as large as any this year. You can have all the tools in the world to forge a future, but if they’re not applied correctly you end up with a mess.

Historically, Windsor has been known as the ‘Little Town of Big Firsts’ and we dare to suggest that over the next year, many more firsts will become evident.

But we should step carefully; measure our stride with prudence and effective communication to meet the needs of all stakeholders. Those are the hallmarks of success in any venture and the yardstick by which we should measure those who move, shake and endorse any anticipated prosperity for the Town of Windsor.