Collingwood! What a terrible Town to live in. Wait! I misspoke. What a terrific Town to live in! For sure!

Every early morning I go on a constitutional walk out to the spit – half way out. Or out to the waterside walk of the Shipyards where the sidelaunches of big and small ships including wartime Corvettes were launched.

Then I walk back down Hurontario Street to the Town Hall, across by the beautiful Anglican Church, past the office building that houses our fine young family doctor. Then into our house in Olde Town on a crescent that is filled with gorgeous fully-bloomed trees and glorious front gardens brilliant with colour.

There is so much residential and commercial growth in our Town. Hundreds of new houses in the last decade and more to come. The Shipyards project seems to be stalled — it’s evidently for sale. But there is great hope that it will survive and see the grand plans eventually fulfilled.

Then up at Hume and Hurontario the excellent long-stalled Admiral Collingwood condo and commercial development is getting underway — finally. Delays were certainly not the fault of the capable local builder, Steve Assaff. But he has stuck with it!

In addition he has acquired the old library building and is converting it to a much needed facility — specialized housing/care for people suffering from dementia.

Out at the south end Georgian College has a new building as well as a new president who was just in town to give her splendid Collingwood campus the once over.

Our “new” library is an excellent facility that is a wonderful service to the entire community. Even has some 20 of my novels and non-fiction books on its busy shelves.

That completely redone/reworked Esso Station at Cedar and First with its carwash is going gangbusters!

And the Fire Department is getting its own new Station (I’m the Honorary Chief) and the OPP will take over the old station for a much-needed expansion (I’m the Honorary Deputy Commissioner of the OPP).

Generally speaking, the Town really is terrific. Even though residential taxes are too high and the Harbour, which should be filled with hundreds of small craft docked in the Shipyard sector, has no action apparent.

On top of everything the 2012 summer weather has been lovely. Really great for the morning walks.