The effort to renew Thames Park continued Thursday night, with the options getting narrowed down. The latest in a series of public input meetings was held at Mountsfield Public School. Residents were presented three alternatives, all with similar features, including the addition of a spray pad and pickleball courts. Skylar Franke is councillor for Ward 11, where the park is located. “Staff already did a round of engagement to ask people generally what they want at the park. And that’s why they’ve landed on the splash pad and pickleball courts; expanded naturalized areas, expanded community garden. So, you’ll see a lot of that in the different options here as well as enhanced playground,” said Franke. They would join the existing tennis courts already in the park. The revitalization strategy followed a decision to close the park’s outdoor pool in the summer of 2023. Staff determined the pool needed $2 million in repairs after it was damaged by flood water from the nearby Thames River. Council decided a pool in that location no longer made sense and went looking for other options for the park. Among those arriving for the session was John Erb, wearing a yellow submarine outfit. Perhaps surprisingly, the yellow submarine did not come looking for a pool. Instead, Erb was advocating for a music-themed addition, “I’ve been watching this place for quite a few years, and I’ve been seeing a natural effect that Thames Park has that no other park has its an acoustic echo chamber.” The park sits in a bowl along Ridout Street South, just south of the river. Erb lives at the top of the bowl, south of the park and would like to add a stage, “If it was a children’s stage, set up for children, that would be fantastic.” Meanwhile, Franke said efforts bring an indoor pool for the Old South neighbourhood continue, “Staff are trying to look for about four hectares of land. So, we will see what they’ve come up with and have a debate. But if there’s anyone out there who has a lot of parcels of land that they want to become a pool, please reach out because we’re still looking.” A final decision on a layout for the park is expected by the end of this year, with implementation scheduled to begin in 2026.
