A new park is on the horizon for the city of Morden in the Manchester and Dublin area.
Mayor Nancy Penner said the idea was raised by a community member who contacted the city via email.
“Being in a very densely populated area of the city and having a large number of families living there with young children, [she] was concerned about where the kids were going to play,” she said.
Mayor Penner said the email also outlined the situation for families in the area: While Lions Park is somewhat nearby, it’s a bit too far for young children to visit.
According to the resident, the neighbourhood’s high traffic also acts as a barrier for the children in the area to have a safe place to spend time.
A joint effort
Mayor Penner explained that although the city is open to building a new park and acknowledges that there is a need, it is unable to fund the project entirely on its own.
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According to the mayor, because Morden’s capital projects planning strategy occurs on a 5-year plan, and due to a tight budget to “keep rates at a consistent level,” the solution will be a joint enterprise between the city and the neighbourhood.
“Some of these added requests are hard to fund, so we met with this [resident in July] and talked about the city working in tandem with the neighbourhood,” she said.
“We [can] donate some land to a playground, but we don't have money in our capital budget to pay for playground equipment, so ... we [asked] if they could get a group together and start a fundraising project to fundraise for playground equipment.”
Working as a team
The location of the park is set to be beside the recently built Westview Pembina Valley Child Care Centre in Morden.
Mayor Penner said that the community got on board with the plan quickly.
“The folks in the Manchester Dublin area have formed a fundraising committee,” she said. “I've encouraged them wholeheartedly to work with this because it's such a high-density neighbourhood.”
Mayor Penner said the city will also help by storing funds raised for the play structure in a “special account,” and offering donation receipts to those who contribute over $20.
The city will also assist with purchasing the equipment and maintenance down the road.
The mayor added that the newly established fundraising committee is also searching for grant opportunities in the city to support the project.
“It's just great to see the neighbourhood rallying to see a need, and now stepping forward [to] see if they can fundraise for that need,” she said, adding that the city values the partnership.
“When we can work with the community and see things happen, it’s so rewarding.”
See below for more information on getting involved with Morden’s most recent park project.
With files from Robyn Wiebe