LaSalle to rename bridge after Sr. Const. Atkinson

The St. Clair College Drive bridge spanning the Herb Gray Parkway will soon be renamed after the late Sr. Const. John Atkinson after LaSalle council agreed to the change on Tuesday.

Atkinson, who was shot and killed in May 2006 while investigating a drug deal at a variety store, was a 14-year veteran of the Windsor Police Service.

Coun. Mike Akpata made the motion to name the bridge after Atkinson, saying most of the bridges along Highway 401 are named after fallen OPP officers, but Atkinson also had an attachment to St. Clair College and the community.

On a Ministry of Transportation assumed right-of-way, the naming of the bridge required consent from the Town of LaSalle.

It connects Windsor and LaSalle.

The Highway Memorials for Fallen Police Officers Act permits the naming of bridges and other structures on the King’s Highway as a tribute to officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

In other council business, rates for some of LaSalle’s most popular recreation services are increasing from two to 126 per cent in the 2017.

The town’s fees for swimming lessons, day camp, pool, gymnasium and community room rentals are all going up.

The biggest increase is for a three-hour rental at Riverdance on the town’s waterfront.

The new fee will now be $150, up 126 per cent from the current $66.37.

Group and one-to-four ratio swim lessons are increasing $1, to $7.82 and $11.24 respectively, while private lessons will cost $25, up from $20.28.

Patti Funaro, interim culture and recreation director, said her department consulted with finance officials to “determine the proposed new fees that will increase revenue and ensure cost recovery of programs, while still offering quality programs and services at a reasonable price.”