As we transitioned into a more normal summer in 2021, we were able to participate in more outdoor recreation activities in South Stormont. Our Summer Events team was able to provide a mixture of virtual and in-person activities, our outdoor pool and splash pads returned, and we were able to move forward with some of our recreation sports leagues.
We’re not quite done yet, though! Our Parks and Recreation Department have some exciting upcoming developments both in 2021 and 2022.
Scheduled to take place this fall, new playground structures will be erected in Rosedale Terrace’s MacLennan Park, as well as in Long Sault’s Arnold Bethune Park. The current equipment in these locations are in need of replacement, and the Township was successful in grant applications to help secure funding for these projects that were identified as priorities in our recent Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
The Township will also see 4 newly constructed pavilions erected in 2022. New 20’ x 40’ pavilions that will provide shelter from the sun and inclement weather are scheduled to be built in Simon Fraser Community Park in St. Andrews West; Ingleside Community Park in Ingleside; Lost Villages Museum in Lakeview Heights; as well as Arnold Bethune Memorial Park in Long Sault.
Most recently, however, the Township was announced as a funding recipient of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) that will see a new multi-use path developed in Long Sault’s Arnold Bethune Park. This project will see a paved path navigate from Saunders Avenue to the location of the new pavilion that will be installed near the splash pad, with connections to Johnson Crescent and St. Laurent Avenue.
This project is part of a large-scale, multi-phase path network proposed for the Village of Long Sault and was highlighted as a priority in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Through additional grant applications, we hope to expand this multi-use path network with extensions to other areas of the parkland and make additional connections to existing sidewalks and planned trail networks. Stay-tuned for more details on those plans!
Despite some significant challenged over the last couple years, our Parks and Recreation Department has been hard at work with efforts to ensure our Township has a vibrant and active community with as many opportunities to participate in outdoor recreation as possible. We look forward to these projects coming to fruition and continuing to improve with even more projects in the future.
Bryan McGillis, Mayor of South Stormont
