Park project brings renewed sense of community
One of the most ambitious park projects in Fort Erie’s recent history is underway, and when finished, the mayor says it will be a key community hub for the town’s west end.
“From the park features to the recreational trails, building up this space is important to our goal of creating vibrant, walkable communities,” said Mayor Wayne Redekop as he checked out the progress at the park. Construction began earlier this summer toward the sweeping redesign of the Crystal Ridge Park, which sits behind the community centre and library.
Once finished, the sprawling 9.2-hectare site will feature extensive hiking trails, a multi-purpose field for soccer, football, lacrosse, a picnic area, tennis courts, pickleball courts, a splash pad and two separate dog parks for big dogs and small pups.
There’s even going to be one playground feature that more and more communities are getting rid of: A sledding hill. While other cities have been removing municipal tobogganing spots and even bringing in bans on the activity (because it presents a liability risk), the new park in Fort Erie is embracing the winter pastime.
“Sometimes, you still have to let kids be kids,” said Redekop about the town’s decision to include a tobogganing hill as part of the design.
The park was first opened in the 1960s, but hasn’t had a major upgrade in years. In the 2018 budget, councillors approved spending $750,000 on improvements to the park.
Fort Erie has been riding a housing boom the last few years, and much of it has been concentrated in the Ridgeway and Crystal Beach area, which is why Redekop said it was so important to target that area for a new park.
“There is a lot of development happening in this end of town, and that’s bringing a lot of families out this way,” he said. “Building public spaces like this is how we turn that housing development into a real community.”