After years of anticipation, residents in the Greater Sudbury community of Lively got their first look Wednesday at conceptual designs for a new, $4 million recreation facility. The consultation at the T.M. Davies Arena brought the community face-to-face with the crucial decision of where to build it, including the advisory panel’s preferred choice: the historic Anderson Farm. Dozens of residents gathered to review the plans and offer their feedback on the long-awaited project. “I’m excited for some new features and stuff like that,” one resident said. “We deserve to have something exciting and fun and for the next generations to come,” said another. “I think when I look at this, it brings hope to think what could be ... I know my son talked about how a volleyball court would be amazing, and sure enough, there is one, you know. It’s so great.” The $4 million comes from a reserve fund established by Greater Sudbury following the 2021 sale of Meatbird Lake Park to Vale Ltd. Updated budget needed Jessica Watts, the city’s recreation manager, said rising construction costs may require an updated proposal. “We definitely have $4 million in a reserve fund held for this project,” Watts said. “We’re hoping to put together … an updated budget proposal. When this idea goes to council, we’ll have those numbers available.” Following the park sale, 10 residents formed the Lively recreation project advisory panel to guide the project. They shortlisted three locations, including the Lively Ski Hill property, the greenspace near the Lively Citizen Service Centre and Anderson Farm. Richard Eberhardt of the advisory panel said that, based on community input, Anderson Farm was the overwhelming choice. “We’ve spent four years talking to the community about this project and we presented them the options,” Eberhardt said. “And far and away, Anderson Farm was the community’s choice.” Ward 2 Coun. Eric Benoit, also a member of the panel, said the other options “weren’t really all that viable.” Viable options “There were size constraints,” Benoit said. “They were … out of the way and they would have required a lot more time to develop to be able to make them actually viable." Tim James, architect from 3rdLine Studio, provided a glimpse of the envisioned amenities. “There would be trails,” James said. “People would enjoy skating in the winter, walking and biking in the summer. It would include a new public sauna, a new type of facility for the City of Greater Sudbury that would be available to residents, winter and summer.” The concepts include a performance area, a public sauna, fire pits, a volleyball court and an animated water feature. That would include a two-centimetre layer of water animated with jets and misters, allowing the public to cool off in the summer. This feature would be adjacent to the sauna. “There are all sorts of things that are kind of coming together to create and support kind of the long-term recreational viability of this site,” James said. For residents who missed the consultation, the deadline to submit feedback is Dec. 19 via the city’s website. This public input will be combined with the advisory panel’s recommendations before a final report is presented to city council in Spring 2026.
