Expect the unexpected. Last year was full of surprises from a municipal government perspective in Mississauga and Peel, and there’s no reason to expect anything different in 2024. Yet we can anticipate some of the policies and projects that will be considered, started and/or completed based on the long-range forecast. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, and there are also others matters yet unknown that will come up unexpectedly that need to be considered.
Expansion of Phase 2 at MSP
Construction is expected to begin on Phase 2 of Mattamy Sports Park. The new features that will populate the open field north of the Churchill Meadows Community Centre include a full sized lit cricket pitch, a lit multi-use sports field for soccer and field hockey, paved multi-use trail with mile markers to make a 3 km circuit, indoor-outdoor tennis facility, a permanent washroom, and additional parking. The design also calls for a quiet contemplative outdoor space called “Remember Our Loved Ones” encircling a water feature at the very north part of the park, where residents can dedicate park benches and trees in memory of loved ones who are no longer with us.
More Park Amenities
The new public tennis courts will be complete and opened at Mississauga-Meadowvale Rotary Park this summer. This is in addition to the aforementioned indoor-outdoor domed tennis facility at Mattamy Sports Park to be constructed this year that will be run by Premier Racquet Club under a joint operation agreement. And, in another park project, Friendship Community Park between McDowell Drive and Thomas Street will see the playground and splash area near McDowell closed for the bulk of 2024 for life cycle rehabilitation and will be ready again for the 2025 season.
Road Work
Forest Park Drive is scheduled for road reconstruction, including curb replacement where needed. This is one of many similar projects across the city so timing is set for “summer / fall” although I have asked for summertime to avoid the school traffic for the three schools in the area. We hope to install a new traffic signal along Eglinton Avenue at Perennial Drive/Sebastian Drive by the end of 2024. We also greatly anticipate the conclusion of the detailed design work for Ninth Line ithis year and hope that the tendering for the project goes well and construction can begin before the end of 2024. Ninth Line is set to be widened to five lanes: two travel lanes in each direction plus a median lane or centre turn lane where needed. Sidewalks and cycle tracks on both sides of the road are also part of the project.
Pump Station
Construction is expected to begin on the automated pumping station along Black Walnut Drive at the Smoke Tree Parkette early this year. This will be the second in a series of pumping stations designed to minimize the impact on residential basement flooding from surcharging underground Foundation Drain Collector pipes that services homes particularly near the Sixteen Mile Creek. The first station is already operational at the Cactus Gate Parkette and there’s a chance construction on the third station at Doug Leavens Blvd will also begin later in 2024.
Policies
Council will review and consider a slew of policies in 2024, including but not limited to: Community Safety Zones and School Zones speed limits, On-street Parking, Sports Equipment in the Public Right-of-Way, Red Light Camera expansion, and more.
Festival
We can expect the Canada Day Together Festival to return to our community this July 1st as the organizing committee is working hard to make plans for this wonderful celebration.
Byelection
With the resignation of Bonnie Crombie as Mississauga Mayor effective January 12, 2024, we can anticipate a byelection for a new mayor to occur sometime in the spring of 2024. More to come on that as the process unfolds.