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Barrie’s Shear Park has had its own big dig.
The two existing asphalt tennis courts were dug up and replaced with a pair of new asphalt courts, along with upgrades to the court power and lighting systems.
This construction took place within the existing footprints, and includes an upgraded multi-use pathway from Holgate Street to the tennis courts. It began in late April and, as of this morning, just needs the tennis nets up and the fences down.
Kevin Bradley, Barrie’s manager of parks planning, said the cost to design and build this project is $347,000 and funding comes primarily from two sources — cash-in-lieu of parkland from developers and the federal gas tax. There are additional, but minor funding sources available, depending upon the year, such as the city’s tax capital reserve.
The Shear Park project includes full tennis court reconstruction, tennis lighting and electrical servicing replacement, new park walkways and a main access route, and new public seating, plantings, sod, fencing, and signs.
The annual play court rehabilitation and construction program is a long-standing city capital renewal program that was expanded in scope in 2019 to include infill new court construction in addition to renewal and replacement projects for tennis, basketball and pickleball courts.
Shear Park also includes a softball park, children’s playground equipment, a half-basketball court, community gardens, picnic tables, benches, a community orchard, walking trails throughout the wooded area and washrooms.
Shear Park is 10.5 acres in size and is bound by Holgate Street, Innisfil Street and Baldwin Lane.
And the park is aptly named. Edward Shear was the principal at nearby King Edward School at 25 Burton Ave., now Unity Christian High School, for 34 years and his wife, Mildred, taught at King Edward for 27 years.
Originally called Allandale Park, it was renamed Ed Shear Memorial Park in 1933, about seven years after his death, and that name was later shortened to Shear Park.
