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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-05-11, Page 44 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, May 11, 2016 www.lucknowsentinel.com The Lucknow Sentinel PUBLISHED WEEKLY P.O. Box 400, 619 Campbell Street Lucknow Ontario NOG 2H0 phone: 519-528-2822 fax: 519-528-3529 www.lucknowsentinel.com [p] POSTMEDIA JOHN BAUMAN Group Manager, Media Sales john.bauman@sunmedia.ca JOYJURJENS Office Administrator l ucknow.sentinel@sunmedia.ca TROY PATTERSON Editor 519-396-2963 ext. 104 TPatterson@Postmedia.com DARRYL COOTE Reporter 647-869-7720 DCoote@postmedia.com CURTIS ARMSTRONG Group Director of Media Sales - Grey, Bruce and Huron County Postmedia carmstrong@postmedia.com P: 519-376-2250 x514301 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO SENTINEL CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P.O. 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Canada .Apcna Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association New Ripley Fall Fair plan calls for construction of playground, picnic and livestock shelters Darryl Coote Reporter The Ripley fairgrounds has been redesigned with the addition of a new playground, picnic shelter and animal shelter, all of which should be up and ready for this September's fall fair. The new layout, approved by the Township of Huron -Kinloss council May 2, places the play- ground and picnic shelter to the east of the baseball diamond and the animal shelter to the north of the Ripley -Huron Community Centre. The initial push behind the redesign was by the Ripley Fall Fair as it was looking to a estab- lish a direction for the next dec- ade, said Mike Fair, the director of Community Services for the Township of Huron -Kinloss, in a follow-up phone interview Tuesday. The redesign began Feb. 1, 2016, when council hired Stemp- ski Kelly Associates Inc. at $4,714 to consult with stakeholders including the local agricultural society, sporting clubs and resi- dents to gather input and develop a 10 -year site plan for the Ripley -Huron Community Centre property. "It was kind of an ongoing dilemma where the construction was going to occur," Fair said. "Nobody could make up their mind. Basically there were a lot of different opinions out there so that's why we brought in the facilitator to bring everyone together, draw out their needs and then bring back some recommendations." That plan was brought back to council Monday night with resi- dents questioning whether it be safer to site the playground by the tennis courts north of the property as the baseball dia- mond poses undue risks. Councillor Lillian Abbot stated parents have raised concerns that children on the play equipment might be struck by errant balls from the baseball diamond. "Is that the best placement for it or should it perhaps be by the tennis courts?" she asked. "When it comes to the best location that is probably it," said Fair. A fence over the backstop of the diamond could be erected to lessen this worry, but "when it comes to the best site location ripen Ammo I t Ito 1 � er I l deli. al �•t+r is 1.14 a s, I n --,rte, Submitted graphic A slide of the new layout to the Ripley fairgrounds that Huron -Kinloss council agreed to May 2, 2016. that is likely it," he said. Visibility is a great concern with playground equipment, he said. "That's one of the key compo- nents ... for any play structures is to keep everything up front so nobody can hide. Nobody can do things that are maybe inappro- priate," he said. Mike Gallant, from the Ripley Classics Old Timer Hockey Team, argued for the playground to be by the tennis courts saying the noise of children playing would be too much for the nearby retirement home. Councillor Jim Hanna said to move the play equipment by the tennis courts would present other dangers such as traffic. "But does the shelter have to be in the vicinity of the ball- park?" asked Abbot. "My understanding is it would get more use there," said Hanna, referring to the diamond. "I think it would get more use there myself," said Gallant, want- ing the picnic shelter to also be moved over by the tennis courts. The suggested location of the picnic shelter near the baseball diamond was made by two local baseball organizations, Ripley Slow Pitch and Ripley Minor Ball, as it would get more use during summer by its members, Fair said. Hanna then reiterated an ear- lier point raised by Fair that with the playground and the picnic shelter close to the baseball dia- mond, parents could more com- fortably watch their children, one of whom could be playing baseball while the other is on the jungle gym. "Either way they have to tend their kids," said Gallant. ':.. I just think [the playground] would get more use over there" by the ten- nis courts. Councillors then discussed whether to edge the baseball dia- mond one way or the shelter another to see if a compromise could be found, but with each suggestion other potential haz- ards were found. The best location for the play- ground is by the tennis courts, said Brian Reid, president of the Ripley Agricultural Society, "but at this point we just want to get it done. Our donors are getting jit- tery. We need to make this hap- pen once and for all." The cost of the playground is estimated between $15,000 and $19,000 to be paid by the munic- ipality and donations while the local 4-H club and agricultural society will be paying for the shelters with money they have collected through donations. Other changes to the site plan include the grooming of the northern tree line and the bush area to the east of the property, which includes the removal of trees and stumps with funds pre- viously allocated in the 2016 budget. The tractor pull site, which pre- viously ran through the ball dia- mond during the fall fair, will be shifted to the north toward the fence line to prevent damaging the grass in the outfield. The costs for this alteration will be minimal, Staff's report to council reads. Mayor Mitch Twolan con- cluded the debate by stating that the site plan process has been an open one having given people ample room and time to voice their opinions on the matter. He then called the vote. "it is time to get on with getting these facilities built," the mayor said.