Work starts on new parks & rec plan
Municipality approves $130,000 contract for ideas and consultations
The municipality has hired a design firm to consult with residents and draft a parks and recreation master plan that will set the direction for the next 20 years as the community grows and its needs change.
During Tuesday’s council meeting, Trent Hills approved a $130,635 contract with Tocher Heyblom Design Inc., a Toronto-based planning firm that specializes in parks and recreation master plans. Development charges will pay $105,000 of the cost and the remaining $23,635 will be funded from a planning reserve fund.
Peter Burnett, Director of Community Services, assured councillors that there will be extensive public consultation on the plan, which will replace one done in 2003. He said the hope is to have the plan ready to go to council by the end of 2025 or early in 2026.
“There will be a lengthy consultation process,” Burnett said, that will include online surveys, public meetings, telephone options, and other possibilities.
The municipality’s planning and public works departments will be closely involved in the process, he said.
A key point that was stressed to all the design firms that bid on the job was the need to develop ideas that will fit the municipality’s budget constraints, Burnett said.
Managing the expectations of residents will also be a continuing challenge.
Councillor Dennis Savery asked whether the plan will include any short-term projects that should be included in the 2026 budget. Burnett replied that was unlikely since the budgeting process will start this summer just as the master plan consultation process is getting underway.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been 22 years since we had meetings in the high school gym and everyone wanted an indoor pool and a walking track,” said Councillor Gene Brahaney, expressing regret that a planned track was cut from the recreation centre plan to save money.
Mayor Bob Crate pointed out that there is a municipal walking track located in the Hastings Field House.
One key issue that is sure to attract a lot of ideas is what should be done with the park at the intersection of Bridge Streets and Booth Street in Campbellford now that the outdoor pool has been demolished. No doubt some proponents will continue to push for a new outdoor pool.
New condenser approved for Warkworth arena
Proving that budgets are created to be altered, council approved spending $115,983 to replace the condenser at the Warkworth Arena.
In the 2025 budget that was approved way back in December, money was set aside to repair the arena’s leaking roof. But in early January the condenser stopped condensing, forcing the municipality to make repairs that have kept it working until the end of the season. It’s currently operating at two-thirds capacity since one of three fans is not working, a report said.
So, the money that was allocated to stop the leaks will now be spent on a new condenser.
Burnett said the condenser needs to be ordered immediately so that it will be installed in the fall.
Burnett said some emergency repairs will be made on the roof as the old condenser is replaced, but a full repair will have to wait. The scope and cost of repairs won’t be known until the old condenser is removed. “If necessary, staff will return with a subsequent staff report for the required roof repairs,” a report said.
Burnett said staff is considering the option of a condenser that is located on the ground, not on the roof.
“This project will be funded with a transfer of $80,983 from the Warkworth Arena Capital Use Fee Reserve and $35,000 from the Parks and Recreation Facilities Reserve,” Burnett’s report said. The contract was awarded to CIMCO Refrigeration, which is owned by Toromont Industries Ltd. based in Vaughan.
Deputy Mayor Mike Metcalf asked where the money comes from for those reserves and how they will be replenished.
Burnett explained that the municipality sets aside 10 per cent of every facility rental in a reserve fund for updates and repairs in that facility.
Discussing the leaky roof, Burnett made a point that I have often argued: Flat roofs don’t make much sense in our environment that includes lots of rain and snow. The arena roof has been leaking for at least 15 years, he said.
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It strikes me as very sad that we have no outdoor swimming facility in Campbellford. Kids should have somewhere outside to cavort, splash, jump in the water and swim and yet we have nothing - a supervised swimming area in the river would be great.