St. Marys council opts to retain, fence off large West Quarry pillars as cleanup moves ahead

By Galen Simmons

St. Marys council has reversed course on its previous decision to remove all concrete structures at the West Quarry, voting recently to retain and fence off the site’s six large industrial pillars as part of this year’s cleanup and revitalization work.

The decision came as council received an update on the West Quarry enhancement project at its Feb. 24 regular meeting. The staff report presented to council by director of public works Jed Kelly and cultural services manager Amy Cubberley outlines cleanup plans for 2026 and addresses motions brought forward last November regarding the fate of the pillars following presentations by local historians on the importance of preserving the structures as visual reminders of the town’s industrial past.

“(Infrastructure services manager) Jeff (Wolfe) and I have been working on this since the delegation in November,” Cubberley told council. “One of the recommendations out of that was to look at the smaller (concrete structures) and whether those could be saved or preserved in some way. So, Jeff and I did a walkthrough of the site and did take an inventory. There are 19 smaller remnants down there and our opinion is that none of those can viably be saved.

“Some of the concerns we had was the geographic spacing of them; they’re quite sprawled and there isn’t a tidy cluster we could fence off appropriately. We also felt that they, being lower, are more of a climbing temptation than the taller ones. … So, again, we’re kind of just looking back at whether council wishes to keep those six (larger) pillars in place and explore some fencing options for those.”

As part of a broader plan to rehabilitate the former industrial site for passive recreational use, council had previously endorsed the removal of the 20-foot-tall concrete pillars left behind by limestone-mining operations. However, following the delegation from local historians late last year and further review by staff, council directed staff to implement the fencing option – preserving the pillars while restricting public access.

According to the staff report, four options were considered: complete removal ($38,000-$68,000), partial removal ($105,000), fencing ($40,000) and parging and repair ($332,000). The fencing option was identified as the lowest-cost, preservation-focused approach and aligns with the delegation’s proposal to allow the structures to remain while reducing risk. Staff note the pillars are not believed to be at immediate risk of collapse and would not require stabilization if fenced off.

“I don’t see removing them down the road; I just see leaving them fenced and with the plaque that’s there or an additional plaque that says these pillars were saved by this council,” said Coun. Marg Luna, later noting she was originally in favour of removing the concrete structures until she realized it would be less expensive to simply fence them off and leave them in place. “I don’t see that there’s any further expense except maybe for the fence, which is minimal, I would think.”

“After doing a personal walkthrough of that location yesterday, it became quite apparent to me that the six tall structures, although there was some parging on the outside coming down, did look solid,” Coun. Jim Craigmile added. “It’s in an area where the grade is very steep from a couple yards off the trail to where the fence is, down to the water’s edge. I really believe you’re going to need some sort of fencing there anyways. … So, I’m not sure the fencing is going to cost any extra because I think you’re going to need it there for safety … because it is steep.”

Council’s decision marks a shift from its February 2025 direction to remove the pillars entirely as part of the cleanup project. At that time, removal was supported primarily for safety and liability reasons. Since then, local historians have urged council to consider preserving the structures as tangible links to St. Marys’ limestone-mining past.

“I appreciate the delegation that came out and I appreciate the history,” Coun. Dave Lucas said. “We’re looking to rehabilitate the quarry, so … if we want a reminder of the industry that has created this town, it would be the quarry itself, which we’re not proposing to fill in; we’re proposing to expose and make it look good. I can’t get my head wrapped around leaving crumbling concrete in that.”

St. Marys Mayor Al Strathdee, who was notably absent from the Feb. 24 council meeting, also spoke strongly in favour of removing the concrete structures from the quarry last year, suggesting they were little more than industrial garbage.

As part of council’s direction to staff to retain the six large pillars, town staff will report back on timelines and budget considerations for fencing them off – something town CAO Brent Kittmer said could happen during site cleanup efforts beginning in the spring, both to improve safety around the pillars and to take advantage of the work already being done there.

Quarry cleanup efforts to begin this spring

This spring’s work at the West Quarry will focus on removing fencing and industrial waste materials, regrading the landscape and preparing the site as a more usable open space. Construction is anticipated to occur in May and June, with restoration completed before the swimming-quarry season begins June 26.

“We were successful with the TOARC (Ontario Aggregate Resources Corporation) partnership,” Kelly said. “The way that TOARC grants funding; it’s a little different. There’s no funding agreement. We don’t get a cheque from them. Basically, we just surrender the site and then they’re going to take our unit-rate contractor and they’ll start the removals.

“They’re figuring on a maximum upset limit of 2,000 cubic metres of material … and then they said if we get the clean-fill material down to the site, they’ll place it for us. … From our perspective, we’ll be looking at screening some yard-waste compost from the landfill … and we’ll have to bring that down first. So, we will have cost to prep it and then once it gets into the TOARC cleanup, they’ll take over with our contractor.”

Cleanup efforts will include identifying and removing concrete and steel waste, importing soil to allow for regrading of the westerly side of the site, re-establishing turf and facilitating long-term maintenance as open space. During construction, the Riverview Walkway between the racket courts and St. Maria Street will be closed for approximately four weeks to ensure public safety.

Investigations carried out in 2025 – including water-quality sampling and a bathymetric analysis – confirmed the West Quarry is suitable for a range of potential water-based recreational uses, with no significant hazards beyond a few localized submerged structures where signage may be appropriate. The sampling found water quality consistent with that of the swimming quarry.

With the cleanup and regrading expected to be substantially complete this summer, council plans to undertake broader public consultation in fall 2026 to help inform long-term uses of the quarry beginning in 2027. Future considerations may include partnerships or lease opportunities, with the St. Maria Street pump house identified as a potential support building for office, storage or washroom space.

The 2026 capital budget includes $100,000 for the West Quarry enhancement project.