The Innisfil Beach Cruisers Car Club donated $12,000 to support the new, fully accessible Sleeping Lion Park (Champion Park) during this week's town council meeting.
Champion Park will be the largest park within the Sleeping Lion development at 3.5 hectares.
The multi-use park is planned to include amenities that can be used by all ages and abilities, including accessible play equipment, washrooms, seating, trails and connecting pathways, parking, and a splash pad, according to a news release.
The playground will feature experiences that are appropriate for a range of sensory, motor, cognitive, and social skills.
“Champion Park will set the stage for inclusive public spaces in Innisfil,” said Mayor Lynn Dollin. “We’re incredibly thankful to the Innisfil Beach Cruisers Car Club for supporting our residents through many charitable causes — and now — Champion Park. Our accessibility advisory committee has spearheaded this project from the beginning and we’re grateful to have these passionate citizens volunteering their time to create a more accessible community.”
The park will be centrally built in the development on the west side of Angus Street and north side of Cole Street. The closest major intersection is 6th Line and 20th Sideroad.
The park is currently in the design phase, with construction anticipated to begin this fall. More information about the design will be released soon on the town’s website.
“Kim Bos, one of the founding members of the Innisfil accessibility advisory committee, relayed to us that she had never been on a swing in her life,” Rick Winson, from the Innisfil Beach Cruisers Car Club, said at the March 22 council meeting. “We decided we were going to make that happen and we’re really looking forward to doing it.”
Winson was a former member of Innisfil's accessibility advisory committee, which will continue to advocate for the project and guide the design of the park.
The Innisfil Beach Cruisers Car Club is gearing up for future fundraising initiatives with the return of their weekly car show at Innisfil Beach Park on Thursday nights starting May 25. The Cookstown Cancer Classic Car & Truck Show will also be returning for its second year at the Georgian Bay Steam Show grounds on Aug. 19.
