Wilmot gets Baden-New Hamburg corridor

Donations have led to the possibility of a natural resource linking two communities.

Wilmot was recently gifted the forested portion of the New Hamburg and Baden Employment Lands by developers before filing for applications on subdivision. The township now owns 143 of the 165 acres of forest anchored by Klassen Woods in New Hamburg and Schmidt Woods in Baden.

According to Harold O’Krafka, the director of development services for Wilmot Township, the long-term vision is to protect the land while providing, “a lasting significant environmental and recreational corridor for the community to enjoy and preserve for generations to come.”

Wilmot anticipates a multi-use pave trail to link Hamilton Road to Nafziger Road, as well as the entrance to the Wilmot Recreation Complex and trails still to be constructed on the employment lands, to be developed in 2019.

Other trails linking Baden, Waterloo-Oxford, and New Hamburg on the north side of the railway are in early stages of design, with partial construction anticipated for next year as well.

“Through the generosity of our community partners and the development industry, we are able to build these linkages decades before we would be able to in a traditional development scenario,” said O’Krafka. “These transportation links will provide a high quality of life for existing residents and serve as an attraction to new residents and businesses who seek a more active healthy lifestyle than other communities are able to provide.”