Should Amherstburg council approve the redevelopment of Centennial Park? That question will be debated on Monday, Feb. 23 when council meets. Council will be discussing two options from administration. The first option, which is being recommended, would cost $1,060,000 and includes two tennis courts, two basketball courts, and an 800-meter walking trail with benches and trees, along with 10 accessible parking spaces and four chess/checker tables. The tennis courts in option one will be fenced, featuring simple lined courts, while the basketball courts will not be fenced and will also feature simple lined courts. Option two has similar features at the same cost but does not include a walking trail. The second option includes two dedicated, fenced, and acrylic colour-coated premium tournament play tennis courts, along with two dedicated fenced and acrylic colour-coated premium sports courts, along with 10 accessible parking spaces and four chess/checker tables on accessible concrete pads. Deputy mayor Chris Gibb posted the redevelopment plans on social media Wednesday night, receiving mixed views and reactions from the public. “It definitely helps me to hear the raw public opinion on Facebook or on social media, and it will be an interesting discussion with council to see what is the will of council, where do we want to go with this one,” says Gibb. He says some residents feel now is not the time to spend the money, but others want to see the park upgraded. “The tough part is the balance,” he says. “We’ve got a lot of infrastructure needs that we’ve become aware of throughout the last part of our term here, so it’s a tough decision. Do you spend all this money at once on a park, or do you keep it in the bank and save it for other infrastructure needs?” Gibb says Centennial Park was the previous home for the town’s arena complex. He says the town also sold a piece of the property to the Greater Essex County District School Board for North Star High School. “We lost a public pool, we lost four baseball diamonds, so it’s something that long-term residents of Amherstburg have been calling for us to redevelop this park,” he says. “So we will see what council decides, if it’s worth the investment or if it’s something that we should keep our powder dry, so to speak, for other infrastructure needs.” According to the report, town staff presented both options to the town’s Parks Committee in January, and the committee endorsed option 1, emphasizing the inclusion and installation of the maximum number of park amenities rather than premium, tournament-style courts. Council previously set aside $530,000 in reserves for the upgrades. Gibb says during budget deliberations, council was able to allocate the remaining money through different reserve funds. Centennial Park is located on Victoria St S.
