Loyalist Township council approved a $130,000 budget for the completion of a brand new parks and recreation master plan on July 10.
Along with a generous donation from an anonymous donor, the new plan and approved budget will see more upgrades and development for local parks and recreational programming.
The current parks and recreation master plan was developed in and put into place in 2017. According to staff, it does not include specifics related to infrastructure and park development.
The new plan will be more specific to local park projects, and focus more on the design and implementation of community programming, and indoor and outdoor infrastructure standards. The plan will also help determine new amenity locations, budget impacts, and funding opportunities.
A $500,000 donation from an anonymous donor was put forth to go towards a new skate park and pump track in the township. The new plan will see these amenities be considered, and their location identified. Council also recognized the community's desire for a splash pad after their recent public survey, and stated that the new plan will help identify a preferred location for a splash pad in the township.
There will also be new sport courts in the township thanks to the new plan. Currently, there are four pickleball courts and one tennis court in Bath. Two pickleball courts were recently added to the Sk8er Park sports pad in Odessa as well. With the redevelopment of the arena at the W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre in Amherstview, sport courts including pickleball, will be added to the arena floor by 2025 for access in the spring and summer seasons.
Council felt it was the right time for a new parks and recreation master plan due to the growth and changing demographics in the township. Deputy Mayor Nathan Townend noted the ever-changing community expectations for parks and recreation infrastructure and services.
"I think this is an appropriate step for us to take in trying to be prudent as we expand and build on our recreational facilities. To continue to grow, we need to take another look at the recreation master plan given all that's happened in the last several years in terms of what we heard from the public, what the demands are, and to make sure we can meet those demands in a prospective and prudent long-term future sort of looking way," said Townend.
Mayor Jim Hegadorn explained that the new plan will help to efficiently move projects forward within the community.
"I don't see it as delay. I see it as proper planning, and I see it as making sure that we're fully utilizing all of the parks to the most of their potential throughout the township," said Hegadorn.
The new master plan will allow the township to strategically manage the direction of parks and recreation including infrastructure and services for the next ten years. The anticipated timeframe for completion of the plan is late July 2023 to June 2024.
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