It’s been almost a year since the city re-opened Battle of Beaverdams Park after a $1.3M overhaul that saw the installation of a new fountain, playground and other amenities.
Now that Thorold residents have gotten used to the new green space, some feel that certain improvements could be made.
The topic was discussed during a meeting of the Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee last week.
Committee member Tony Vandermaas kicked off the discussion when complaining about the mound that’s situated at the North side of the park.
“The entire reason for the removal of the wall and putting in the steel fence was so that there would be a clear view of what was going on at the bandshell,” he said. “This berm defeats that entire purpose.”
Councillor Ken Sentance — who was part of city council when the project was approved — took the opportunity to voice his dislike of the park’s fountain.
“I know it’s an expensive thing but if we’re going to do the mound, let’s do the fountain as well,” he said. “To me it’s underwhelming. [I would like] just something that’s more traditional with water you can hear.”
“The fountain is actually running the wrong way,” added committee chair Kieran Daniels. “I would like to see the construction drawings that were provided to see what sort of fountain was incorporated and what was actually built.”
And what about the park’s pavilion, asked committee member Marsha Coppola.
“I spend the time there doing the eco-cleanup and it rained and we didn’t have much protection from the rain," she said.
Finally, committee member Ian Woods asked that the city review its maintenance standards for the upkeep of the interior of the bandshell.
“Every time I go there, there’s new graffiti,” he said.
And with that, committee members unanimously approved a motion to have city council take a look at the issues.
