Construction on Battle of Beaverdams Park has come in under budget at $1,923,466.85, leaving a surplus of $76,533 to be spent on extra park amenities such as sign and fence repairs, and picnic tables and benches.
An additional idea floated around for the park is a Pride flag pole.
As ThoroldToday reported, local real estate agent Anthony Feor proposed a downtown Pride crosswalk back in May. The idea was nixed because the associated price tag was deemed too high.
It was councillor Ken Sentance who brought up the possibility of a Pride flag pole in Beaverdams Park at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
“I would like to see us use that extra money to put a pole in,” he told fellow councillors. “We have a donation policy. [Feor] is ready with cheques. He just needs us to go forward with it first and then he can come in.”
While some councillors seemed to be open to the idea, councillor Jim Handley voiced his concerns.
“This opens us up to other groups coming forward to do the same and to expect the same,” he said. “We need to know the path that we’re taking here and this could lead to a multitude of flag poles wanting to be erected at Battle of Beaverdams Park.”
The city’s Director of Finance Maria Mauro also expressed hesitation.
“We do have a fundraising policy and I would stress the importance of these groups following fundraising policies,” she told council members. “Nobody should be out there fundraising for city facilities or city amenities without first coming to council and asking for approval.”
But Councillor Ken Sentance said that he felt the project had already been discussed previously.
“We did discuss this one time about the sidewalk and it turned into a pole because we talked about digging up the sidewalk in the future,” councillor Sentance said. “He did speak to that before. He doesn’t want to supersede the donation policy. I feel we had discussed this in the past.”
At the May 17 city council meeting where the Pride crosswalk was discussed, Feor was asked why he hadn’t yet solicited donations for the possible crosswalk.
“I have not raised any money to date,” he explained at the time. “I would like a number that you would like me to achieve so I can put something in place.”
During that same meeting councillor John Kenny floated the idea of a Pride flag pole.
“I am proposing that we erect two flagpoles and we would fly the Pride flag year-round in support of the Pride movement,” he said at the time.
Ultimately, at that May 17 meeting it was decided to defer any decisions on the matter to let City Hall staff come back with a new report exploring the different options. That report never materialized.
At Tuesday’s meeting, councillor Handley said that there should also be a flag pole for Indigenous people, but councillor Sentance explained that the pride flag would be inclusive of all minorities.
“The new flags have the Indigenous component to it,” councillor Sentance said. “They have the people of colour that represent the Indigenous people as well so it will be completely inclusive of everyone.”
Councillor Anthony Longo echoed councillor Handley’s sentiment.
“I think we need a very good policy crafted not only about donations but about actual flag poles,” he said. “There could be a number of different organizations that would like a flag pole and we need to be consistent across the board.”
In the end it was decided to include the Pride flag pole as a possibility for an additional project in the park, but it is still a question whether or not the city will move the project forward.
