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Council race: Many city parks could use revitalizing, Ward 8 candidate says

Kyle McCall also suggests tourism could benefit from a floating waterpark in Ramsey Lake
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Kyle McCall is seeking the council seat in Ward 8. (supplied)

There are parks in Ward 8, and across Greater Sudbury, that could use some TLC, Ward 8 candidate Kyle McCall said in a news release this week.

Highlighting a parks in his ward that has been revitalized, McCall said there are many others in his ward, and across the city, that could use similar attention.

Using Rose Marie Park in Ward 8 as an example, McCall said revitalization, “would encourage more active lifestyles, and help to attract and retain young families in our neighbourhoods.”

“Looking around Sudbury there are many other new park developments to get excited about that make our city a great place to live.”

McCall also suggested tourism could benefit from a floating waterpark in Ramsey Lake, similar to one in Barrie.

The full text of McCall’s release is below.

Some of my fondest memories as a child are of playing in the “bush” that backed onto our local playground. Playing hide-and-go-seek, or capture the flag, and biking everywhere on the extensive trail system. On weekends we would travel to the cottage or go camping, where we would spend even more time outside. The outdoors has been an instrumental in shaping the person I am today, which is why I am a huge proponent for expanding our local hiking and biking trails, and renewing or enhancing the parks that dot our neighbourhoods. 

There are many parks in Ward 8, and across Sudbury, that could use some revitalizing. They need new equipment and updated amenities. Twin Forks is a great example of a park currently undergoing such a transformation. It now boasts community gardens, a well manicured baseball diamond and soccer fields, and hopefully very soon a splash pad. However, there is still an old, rickety, tennis court that needs to be replaced that could find renewed life as a basketball court. 

Up the street is Rose Marie park. Bustling in the winter because of the rink, but barren in the summer. To me, this would be the perfect place for additional community gardens, and a beach volleyball court or two. This would encourage more active lifestyles, and help to attract and retain young families in our neighbourhoods. 

Looking around Sudbury there are many other new park developments to get excited about that make our city a great place to live. The creation and expansion of Kivi Park has been a tremendous success, and our skate path on Ramsey is a truly awesome winter experience. The addition of warming stations created by students of Laurentian University’s McEwen School of Architecture, makes it even more fantastic, blending design with the outdoors and creating a unique Sudbury experience that is constantly evolving. 

So, what else could we do? Bell Park’s waterfront comes immediately to mind. Other cities have invested in water based attractions, and we should be looking to them for inspiration. Barrie has an inflatable water park that acts as both a tourist attraction and revenue stream for their city. With the success of our local climbing gym, we could also look at creating a water based climbing attraction, which would have a similar effect.

These are just a couple ideas, but there are many other new and creative ways we can enhance our parks, and at the same time add to our overall quality of life here in Sudbury. 

Read more about McCall on his election page on Sudbury.com.


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