South-end Barrie’s Painswick Park will get its fully paved parking lot.
During Wednesday night’s 2024 budget talks, councillors approved a motion that funding for the proposed Hewitt’s community centre land acquisition and design be reduced by $600,000 and that money be used to reconstruct the Ashford Drive parking lot.
“I was told that, yes, we see this as a priority, but you need to find the funds,” said Coun. Bryn Hamilton. “Well, we went ahead and we found the funds to allocate for this.”
There have been concerns about the gravel and sand portion of the parking lot meeting Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards, although city staff said Wednesday it does, and that it’s used to drop-off and pick-up students at nearby St. John Paul II Catholic School.
Hamilton has said it makes little sense to have a parking lot right next to a fully accessible park that’s not fully accessible.
“This specific issue came from the seniors and accessibility advisory committee and I found it’s very important,” said Coun. Nigussie Nigussie, the committee chairman. “And it’s a good way to invest.”
Painswick Park’s redevelopment was completed in September. It includes a 21,000-square-foot inclusive playground that enables children of all ages and abilities to play side-by-side, and focuses on removing accessibility barriers to sport and play.
The playground also includes double-wide ramps, a barrier-free merry-go-round, an entry-level climber, auditory stimulation and swing experiences for all abilities.
Donations from Canadian Tire’s nearly 500 store owners across the country contributed $2.1 million to the project.
This new playground complements the recent redevelopment of Painswick Park by the city, which includes the addition of eight pickleball courts, three baseball diamonds and new lit pathways, at a cost of $5 million.
But Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson said he’s of two minds about the parking lot project.
“I struggle with this one, big time,” he said. “I will support it, only because this is an anomaly. It’s a fully accessible park. I don’t want this to be precedent setting. This shouldn’t be something council does. But this is allowing the park’s full utilization.”
Thomson said it won’t affect the multi-million-dollar community centre, because $600,000 will not make or break its funding.
The Hewitt’s community centre carries a cost of more than $191 million at an unspecified location in south Barrie, according to the 2024 capital budget. The majority of its funding will come from development charges reserves.
Coun. Gary Harvey, chairman of the finance and responsible governance committee, said he cannot support the paving.
“It does set a bad precedent, no matter which way you look at it,” he said. “We were elected to look at things globally, as opposed to looking at things in our own ward.
“I think there’s a little bit of looking after our own backyards built into this, too," Harvey added.
Mayor Alex Nuttall said the parking lot should have been paved when Painswick Park was completed.
“I have never subscribed to the ‘if it’s not in the capital plan (budget) it can’t be added into the capital plan,'” he said. “The idea that we can’t manoeuvre … prioritize projects in wards is one I just do not subscribe to.”
“What we’re looking at is kind of completing it, making it right,” said Coun. Craig Nixon. “It’s like somebody gave us a car and we’ve got to buy the snow tires.”
City council will consider final approval of the Painswick Park parking lot reconstruction at its Dec. 6 meeting.
