A local youth organization is requesting that a section of roadway in front of their campground be tar and chipped and council will consider the request during budget deliberations.
Cathy Robertson, vice president of the Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club (BYCOC), appeared before Amherstburg town council at its most recent meeting making a request that Texas Road between Concession 6 North and Howard Ave. be tar and chipped. The camp is located at 6480 Texas Road.
Robertson said the BYCOC offers recreational opportunities for youth all ages with a focus on people ages 4-18. People from not just Windsor-Essex County are attending, but even from Chatham-Kent, Sarnia-Lambton, Kitchener, the Netherlands and Argentina. There are also opportunities for the camp to be rented.
“We have set our standards high to be recognized as the premier youth camp in Essex County,” she said.
BYCOC is totally volunteer, and Robertson said they are proud to bring visitors to the community. They always have to improve and make things better for the people they serve.
The road is currently gravel and Robertson believed making it tar and chip falls within the town’s strategic plan. She said increased access to recreational opportunities would fall within the plan and improving and promoting overnight accommodations falls within the pillar of encouraging local economic prosperity.
A petition with 145 signatures was presented to the town, she noted.
“We are not in the business of collecting signatures,” said Robertson. “We are, as the Optimists say, in the business of bringing out the best in children.”
Robertson said as more accommodations and facilities are added, more activities will be held at the camp.
“What kind of welcome does a gravel road that is experiencing freeze/thaw in the middle of winter give a person from outside of town? If the local people don’t want to drive on this road at this time, why would anyone else want to?” asked Robertson.
Parents have commented about possibly no longer enrolling their children in camps due to the condition of Texas Road in that area.
BYCOC offers programs for children and pays their taxes regularly, she added.
Town administration estimates the cost to tar and chip that area of Texas Road at $250,000.
Councillor Don McArthur said BYCOC made “a great case” for council to consider the request and made the motion to consider it during 2025 budget deliberations. Councillor Diane Pouget said she “strongly supports” the motion, noting the town was close to supporting a request to tar and chip a section of North Side Road a few years ago. Administration was concerned over setting a precedent if the BYCOC request was granted, a feeling shared by Councillor Peter Courtney.
Courtney wondered if having Bryerswood Youth Camp on a gravel road could be “a difference maker” when considering the request.
A 2023 report to town council estimated that it would cost over $6.1 million to convert the town’s 32.8-kilometres of road to tar and chip. Bryerswood Youth camp requests tar and chipping of section of Texas Road
By Ron Giofu
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