Bay Roberts converting ball field into garden
The Town of Bay Roberts is making changes to one of its green spaces and community parks.
In the last couple of days, town workers have been removing pieces of what was the old ball field at the Bay Roberts Community Gardens area on Playground Road.
They are doing this to turn the ball field into a sensory garden for seniors and people with autism.
“The gardens themselves will continue like it is, but our ultimate goal is to make the facility into a botanical garden and a learning garden,” Bay Roberts director of development Ron Delaney said of the town’s idea for the space.
The plan to extend the gardens has been a longtime goal of the town. The design being used now was first done in 2017.
The opportunity arose to take the next step when the town constructed and opened a second ball field at the Wilbur Sparkes Recreation Complex a couple of years ago.
Known locally as the old field, the space has been used as a ball field for almost five decades, having been put in originally in the early 1970s.
The work will turn that into a green space for residents, especially senior citizens and people with autism. There will be a sensory garden, with plots for touch, sight, smell, sound and taste in the upper part of the garden.
The sensory garden would be a first for the region.
It will also be wheelchair accessible and feature a new multipurpose shelter, new foliage and a small pool, amongst other green additions throughout the gardens.
There are also plans to install a storyboard depicting the history of the community gardens.
“We’re trying to do a bit of everything for everyone,” said Delaney.
Since the town’s plans were announced, there has been pushback from the town’s minor softball association over the loss of one of the fields it can use to run its program.
The Bay Roberts Minor Softball Association says it was not notified of the town’s plans for the ball field and was disappointed that the field was removed.
“It was a surprise to everyone,” said association treasurer Chris Foley.
In an email to the town on April 16, Foley said the field was a key part of player development for the association, and allowed flexible times for program volunteers. Having a third field also allowed for easier physical distancing, Foley said.
The email also mentioned the historical aspect of the field and that it should have been given a proper sendoff last summer.
“By removing this field, the impacts are many and the wins are few. The way this has rolled out is disappointing, to say the least,” Foley wrote in his email.
In response, Bay Roberts chief administrative officer Nigel Black said the association’s issues were being placed on the agenda for the town’s next council meeting, on May 11.
Black also wrote that the town doesn’t believe there will be a negative impact to the program the group can offer by a change in location.
The town still has two ball fields at the Wilbur Sparkes Recreation Complex, including a brand-new diamond, and another field in Butlerville that has been improved upon in recent years.
“Council can certainly guarantee it that there will be no disadvantage for closing down that field versus the other field for any programs,” said Bay Roberts Mayor Philip Wood. “Minor programs will be at the top of our list for priorities.”
Wood says the expansion of the Bay Roberts Community Gardens complex is a progression from where it is now.
The new walkways, sensory garden and overall feel will be an important addition to what the town can offer residents and visitors, he said.
“It is going to be beautiful,” said Wood. “It is going to be an extension of what is going on.”
Foley said the softball association would at least like the work to be stopped at the site until the council hears its concerns on May 11, which would allow the field to be restored to its original state should that be required to happen.
“There are a lot of factors at play here,” said Foley.