As cold as it was, Thursday’s official opening of the lakeshore rink warmed the hearts of those with a vision for the future.
The Centennial Park Community Rink has been usable for months, but a ceremonial puck drop was performed by Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman and local MPP Ann Hoggarth with the Novice Barrie Sharks. The rink will be a twin basketball court in the summer months, making the location a year-round activity destination. Hoggarth was elated that the city has one more thing to offer as a destination spot.
“This will be vibrant all year round now because of this,” said Hoggarth. “When I’m in downtown Toronto I’ll ask folks if they have ever taken their kids to a beach, they say no and I tell them to hop on the GO train and get up here; that’s what we should be doing is getting people to get here and enjoy all we have.”
The community area was able to happen due to a $260,000 Ontario150 Community Capital grant given to the city in 2017. Volunteer Allan Craig from the Ontario Trillium Foundation was on-hand to present a plaque to the city and to explain just why the grant was made possible to Barrie.
“These grants are designed to help municipalities, non-profit and Indigenous communities renovate, repair and retrofit existing local and cultural spaces,” said Craig. “We love the idea of a rink and basketball court and see the benefit to those of all ages, giving another space for physical activities.”
The rink has been used throughout the winter and times are posted whether it is leisure skating or shinny hours. Lehman was thankful to those local businesses who contributed a total of $80,000.
“This is another great addition to our recently expanded Centennial Park,” said Lehman. “The rink and basketball court will be a popular spot that supports Barrie’s active lifestyle. I want to thank the provincial government as well as CSR Cosmetic Solutions and Skipwith & Associates for making this project possible through generous funding.”
