A big year for Rothesay with plans to keep up the momentum

Rothesay is growing, and in the words of the mayor, 2025 was a boom year.

Mayor Nancy Grant said a record $28.4 million in building permits were issued.

It included commercial, with a total renovation of a Tim Hortons location on Marr Road and the beginning of construction of a Wendy’s in the downtown area.

“We’ve had a lot of residential development as well,” Grant said.

One of the highlights, according to the mayor, is the rise of multi-residential projects.

“That’s a bit of a change for us, a philosophical change because Rothesay has always been a community of single-family homes,” she said. “But times are changing and demands for housing are changing.”

Several such projects are on the go or ready to begin around town.

The big one is the mixed-use development approved for Millennium Drive, which will bring nearly 1,300 units with retail space to town.

“It really has been a banner year for development,” Grant said.

Recreation was another big area of work for the town.

Grant said besides $1 million to replace turf at Arthur Miller fields, the most significant project in 2025 was installing lighting at the Wells softball field.

“That was very special,” she said.

The field is primarily used by KV Girls Softball. The league was having difficulty providing enough field time for all the girls, and the younger players were being moved to the nearby soccer field.

“They really wanted the lights to extend time.”

Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the league and a generous contribution from the Toronto Blue Jays, lights were installed and turned on for the first time in October.

Recreation is also a big part of plans for 2026, Grant said.

The town has been in need of a new arena for some time, and Grant said the top priority in the new year will be the Rothesay Intergenerational Community Complex.

The complex would include a new rink and a total remodel of the Rothesay Arena into an energy-efficient building for indoor recreation space.

“Basketball needs space and pickleball needs indoor space and a new space for the Rothesay HIVE so that they can do even more community work than they’re doing,” Grant said.

Rothesay HIVE is an age-friendly community centre that currently has a small space in Rothesay Town Hall.

“That’s our number one priority, the new arena and walking track, refurbishment of the old building and connecting piece that will have a public café and a public gathering space,” Grant said. “Finally, in the central core of Rothesay, we will have a community hub.”

Another big project Grant hopes will move forward in 2026 is the Wells Connector.

She said it’s a multi-purpose trail connecting the Wells Trail along the Airport Arterial to the hillside trail on Grove Avenue near the Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department.

“It’ll connect the two parts of town, which are geographically separated,” Grant said. “That’s an important one to us. That’s been on our books for a while, and we’re still working to achieve funding for that.”

The biggest municipal event in 2026, though, are the elections in May.

Grant has served on Rothesay council since 2012, first as deputy mayor, and now wrapping up her second term as mayor.

But she said she hasn’t made a decision about running again. “When I make it, you’ll know it,” she said with a laugh.