The Tommy Williams Park committee has grown substantially over the past year. Early in 2014 we amalgamated the Tommy Williams Park committee with the Peace Park committee allowing us to pool our resources. This met with such success that we have since amalgamated with both Sweaburg Minor Ball and the Sweaburg Community and Lions Park. This new combined group is now known as the Sweaburg Parks and Recreation Committee.
In celebration of the successful upgrades to the ball diamond, the basketball court and the new playground equipment, we held a grand opening for the Tommy Williams Park on June 22nd. We invited dignitaries from Farm Credit Canada, The Trillium Foundation and South West Oxford. Everything was free including a BBQ, face painting, a clown making balloon animals, a basketball competition, members of the Beachville Fire Department were there with their fire trucks, we had a craft table making model airplanes, and the Ingersoll Museum had a booth commemorating the First World War.
We were especially pleased to have members of the Tommy Williams family there to say a few words and to unveil our new sign. The event was also a great opportunity for us to promote and fundraise for our next project, a new pavilion at the Tommy Williams Park. With $25,000.00 pledged, we plan to begin construction this year.
The committee is also working on upgrades to the ball diamond at the Sweaburg Community and Lions Park. Our plan is to install foul ball netting. Anyone who has spent some time at the ball diamond would have witnessed countless close calls of fouls balls entering the stands, the playground structure or even through vehicles windshields. We also plan to install a clay surface which will reduce player injuries and simplify diamond prep for our volunteers. A batting cage is included to provide a safe place for players to warm up before a game and to provide coaches with another tool to improve batting ability.
This past fall Leroy Blancher from MASS excavating spent the better part of a day levelling out the area for the ice rink. The rink now has several inches of ice all over rather than the thin spots we’ve been getting over the past few years. Our volunteers thank you for making the maintenance of a 50’x100’ ice rink that much easier. We’ve also enjoyed the support of many teenagers who helped with the set up as well as help to keep the rink free of snow.
This past winter, the Park and Rec Committee teamed up with the Sweaburg Lions Club to supply the crafts at the Sweaburg Lions Old Fashioned Christmas to the delight of many children.
We welcome new members, volunteers and suggestions. Donations to Parks and Rec are eligible to receive a charitable tax receipt. Contact a committee member for details. Meetings are scheduled for every 3rd Thursday of each month for Sept to June (no meeting in Dec, July & August) at the Sweaburg United Church.
- Phil Gagnon, Chair of Sweaburg Parks and Recreation Committee
Trillium Foundation