Parks in town are on the way – but depend on building pace
With talk at council recently about the lack of parks in Dundalk, the Herald spoke with recreation manager Kevin Green to catch up on what’s happening, what’s not happening, and why.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
The largest park area in Edgewood Greens is in the last phase – and that phase was delayed.
Flato Developments has been waiting on the permission it only just received from the Ministry of Transportation for the entrance onto Hwy. 10.
That area is known as the Norm Jack park, named after a Dundalk resident known for his community work and service in local politics.
It’s what’s called a Community Park, larger and designed to serve the whole area. There will be many uses there, but at this point the park may not be assumed for two to three years, Mr. Green said.
That’s because there needs to be road access for emergency vehicles if needed.
Timelines for other Community Parks are also measured in years, not seasons. One will be on Grey County Rd. 9 west of Dundalk past the cemetery. Another with playing fields will be off the Eco-Parkway.
A smaller playground is known as a Neighbourhood Park. There are several of these in Edgewood Greens (Hwy. 10 south of Main) but their opening also has been delayed, Mr. Green said.
Two of these parks have the playground equipment already installed, he said.
But the sticking point is that they have not been finished. That includes having the sod installed, and fencing complete.
The township will not take over the parks and open them to the public until they are up to standard.
“We’re trying,” Mr. Green said. “It’s coming, but unfortunately the way the development is coming, it is not happening on the timeline we expected, and we can’t assume them until they meet municipal standards.”
The housing market has been slower with higher interest rates, and construction has slowed down. That has in turn had an effect on phases being built out.
Southgate engineers are involved with checking off that standards are met before the township assumes land, roads or services.
“The realistic timeline is not what the public wants and not what recreation wants,” he said.
A subdivision agreement called for the developer to build the parks, and for that cost to be taken off the Recreation Development Charges the company would otherwise have to pay.
Existing municipal play-grounds in Southgate are in good shape, having been updated, he said.
The Joe Lisanti park in the nearby Sheffield subdivision opened about a dozen years ago and has play equipment. There is also playground equipment on the agricultural society land on the north side of Main Street.
In the downtown, Memorial Park is also is a Neighbourhood Park with a playground, and many other recreational uses: lawn bowling, skateboarding, basketball hoops, outdoor pool, playground, camping, pavilion with washrooms and an indoor event building with kitchen called the Macintyre Building.
The pool and the pavilion at Memorial Park have been recently updated thanks in part to a grant received by Southgate.
M.T. Fernandes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Dundalk Herald
