Saugeen Shores has a clearer vision of some of its options for improving its parks.
Council has endorsed three park master plans to guide its spending and ensure parks’ amenities are relevant to the community. The Town hired Landscape Planning Ltd. in the fall of 2023 to do the work.
For the North Shore Park in Port Elgin, which suffered significant tree damage in two storms in recent years, respondents to public engagement sessions said their favourite amenities are the trees, the multi-use pathway and the playground. Their priorities are reforestation, more seating, and replacing or relocating the playground.
Their least favourite proposed amenities, according to public engagement efforts are reportedly, the miniature train proposal council considered in 2023 (63% of those who responded disagreed with it), relocating the harbour entrance which people believe is too costly, and additional street parking.
Town staff say while the park master plan is a vision, and a conceptual plan, they are recommending moving the entrance to the harbour parking lot which they say is a “congested and unsafe location for vehicles and pedestrians.”
Town staff say a sample tree, shrub, and pollinator-friendly planting plan has been prepared. Trees included in that plan are sugar maple, white cedar, yellow birch, paper birch, red oak and burr oak.
Estimated costs for the work could be up to $3 million dollars for two planned phases. Some of that is already budgeted for. Cost depends on what kind of shoreline stabilization work is needed.
In Southampton, the consultants looked at Jubilee and Helliwell parks to create master plans for them.
Jubilee Park currently has a splash pad, two ball diamonds, an accessible playground, a washroom, pavilion, parking and green space.
Consultants’ suggested improvements include assessing the existing washroom, re-purposing the back (retired) ball diamond area, repairing or replacing the pavilion, consider the addition of an off-leash dog park and a multi-use court, improving trails, accessibility, and parking and improved landscaping throughout the park.
Resident surveys showed people also wanted more recreational activities for age groups other than kids, more shade, and a year-round washroom. Town staff say people like the idea of pickleball courts and dog park but prefer they be kept to Helliwell park to avoid loud noise. Staff say there were also a few comments in favour of a refrigerated ice rink and secondary baseball diamond.
Helliwell Park, which is very large, has a full-sized soccer field and one mini field, a parking lot, small storage sheds, and a portable toilet.
Consultants suggested improvements including consideration of a permanent washroom facility, storage, or canteen, possible soccer field expansion including lighting, the addition of a pavilion, playground, multi-use court, or walking track. They also suggested considering the addition of an off-leash dog park, improving accessibility, trails, parking and landscaping. They advised considering integration with future subdivisions beside the park and also defining the use of existing woodland and wet areas.
Respondents to a survey about Helliwell Park commented they felt pickleball would be too noisy, but liked the idea of an off-leash dog park, playground, shade structures, soccer fields and a washroom facility.
A report to council notes a four-season washroom costs over $1 million. A three-season one is about $300,000.
Vice Deputy Mayor Mike Myatt says more sports fields are important, noting, “In talking with minor soccer officials, there were not long ago, 700 kids and I’m hearing that it’s close to 1,000 registrants in minor soccer now,” adding that’s a significant increase. “It doesn’t surprise me at all they’re asking for more soccer fields,” says Myatt.
He added, “To light a field, it’s a lot of money to do it, but I think that, we do it for ball and other amenities and it would be nice to see a lit field there someday,” noting it increases the amount of time the field can be used.
He also notes there are 550 kids playing baseball this year and at Jubilee Park, there is some desire to keep the ball diamond there in 2024 until the ball diamonds at the Lamont Sports Park are ready in 2025. “We ought to let them use that back field for 2024. It’s a bit of grass cutting but they are busting at the seams,” says Myatt.
Mayor Luke Charbonneau noted he feels they’re great plans and having master plans is a good idea, but added, “I’m going to be a bit of a wet blanket on this thing, mostly because I want us to be clear with the public about this. So we have phase-one funded. It’s in our business plan, ten-year capital plan, these phase-one projects will proceed almost certainly. The rest, it’s a big number, it’s not funded, the municipality will be on the hook for some portion of that capital cost no matter what happens. It’s not in our business plans.”
Charbonneau notes it’s not in the ten-year budget and to include it would require displacing something else, or moving future phases ten years down the road to 2034.
He says, “As it stands today these future phases are more than ten years out and something has to change. Either we raise taxes, we displace something in the capital budget or we find a major alternate revenue source in the next ten years.”
Charbonneau added, “Council will have some decisions to make, to make that possible and I’m not suggesting we won’t do that— in fact, I hear lots of eagerness to figure that out, so we’ll keep working on it and maybe we’ll find a way, but I just don’t want people’s expectations to be higher than they should be.”
Phase one of the North Shore Park Plan includes playground relocation and new equipment, the renewal of the Lion’s Club Pavilion, a shade structure, parking lot entrance relocation, reforestation and a plaza with furnishings (Benches, Gathering tables, Bike Rings, Litter Receptacles)
Phase one for Helliwell park includes parking improvements, soccer fields, players benches and bleachers.
Phase one for Jubilee Park includes work on parking, a picnic pavilion, the shade structure, a path and some open space.
