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Centennial Park splash pad construction underway

Marlene Stewart Streit Park also to get upgrades It won’t be operational until the spring, but Pelham’s new splash pad at Centennial Park in Fenwick is under construction, with completion expected before the end of December.
Work was underway last week on a new splash pad at Centennial Park, in Fenwick. DON RICKERS

Marlene Stewart Streit Park also to get upgrades

It won’t be operational until the spring, but Pelham’s new splash pad at Centennial Park in Fenwick is under construction, with completion expected before the end of December.

Splash pads are popular with young families, and have been requested for several years during Pelham's Budget Open House. The good news to the taxpayer is that they are a fraction of the price of public swimming pools.

The cost of a splash pad is approximately $350,000, said Vickie van Ravenswaay, Pelham’s Director of Recreation, Culture, and Wellness. The Centennial Park splash pad received both federal and provincial funding via the Investing in Canada Plan (ICIP) and the Covid-19 Resilience Stream, on June 29, which cover about a third of the cost. The balance — about $237,000 — will be paid from Pelham development charges revenue.

Marlene Stewart Streit Park will be the home of not just the municipality’s second splash pad, but also a pavilion and new swimming pool, thanks to 40 percent federal and 33 percent provincial funding ($2.3 million in total). The work will take place over the next five years, and will cost almost $3.2 million. The Town of Pelham will provide some $850,000, allocated from the long-term capital-planning budget. The pool will be the final component, and won’t be completed until 2026.

Marlene Stewart Streit Park currently includes the Isaac Riehl Memorial Skate Park, an outdoor mural installed as a tribute to Stewart Streit, a playground, exercise equipment, and the 60-year old Pelham Pool, which is open from early June to the end of August.

Van Ravenswaay said that the projects fit well into the Town’s strategic priorities, notably building strong communities and cultural assets.

Joint federal and provincial funding supports similar projects in 129 towns, cities, and municipalities throughout southwestern, midwestern, and central Ontario. Ottawa is investing some $40 million dollars towards these projects through the ICIP, while the government of Ontario is contributing some $10.2 million.

 
 


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Don Rickers

About the Author: Don Rickers

A life-long Niagara resident, Don Rickers worked for 35 years in university and private school education. He segued into journalism in his retirement with the Voice of Pelham, and now PelhamToday
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