Amherstburg mayor says new campground will be tourism boost
Fort Family Fun Centre will boast volleyball courts, laser tag, bowling
In the span of a few days, Amherstburg Mayor Aldo DiCarlo got to operate a hydraulic excavator and wield a sledgehammer.
He worked the excavator Wednesday to kick off the demolition of Duffy’s Tavern and Motor Inn and he picked up the sledge Friday at the ceremonial groundbreaking for The Fort Family Fun Centre on Texas Road.
“I’m a little disappointed there’s no heavy machinery here,” he quipped.
The transformation of the old Verdi Club continues for business partners Brad Hearn and Terry Jones.
Four sand volleyball courts and seven more grass courts are set to host 33 teams in the 28th annual Amherstburg Firefighters Tournament Saturday.
Construction of a six-lane bowling alley inside continues.
“It’s all being done now,” Jones said of the lanes. “We’re hoping to have it ready in two months.
Plans also call for laser tag and an arcade inside the former cultural centre.
“It’s being done in phases,” Jones said. “Once the bowling is done, laser tag will be right after that. It’s all going to be this year.”
Jones said the group is awaiting town approval for a go-kart track and they still need to submit a site plan for the campground.
Hearn said development of the 200-site campground may get pushed into next year, but he’s hopeful everything else is in place by September.
Demolition of the existing facade to make way for a fort-like exterior begins in a few weeks.
To illustrate how they’re “converting something old to something new,” Hearn took a sign with The Fort’s logo and placed it over the old Verdi Club logo on the lectern he used for his public remarks.
He said the facility already boasts 40 employees and he anticipates having about 100 when complete.
“This location means a lot to me,” DiCarlo said. “I grew up here. As an Italian cultural club for decades its importance to the town can’t be overstated.”
That being said, DiCarlo said the vision of Hearn and Jones “will be a boost for tourism” for the town and the region.
Hearn and Jones bought the club and its 14 acres of property in early January. They revamped and reopened the restaurant the following month.
Initially Hearn hoped to have the bowling, laser tag and arcade ready by early spring but progress was slowed as the group waited for all necessary permits and approvals.
Originally opened in 1958, the Verdi Club once boasted 600 members, but like other cultural clubs, it has seen a steady decline in numbers. Club representative Vince Muoio told the Star in December there were 140 members.
A Facebook page referenced a special membership meeting in early January to elect a new board of directors.
Club representatives sent a letter to Amherstburg council a while ago looking for community space to hold meetings.
CAO John Miceli said Friday the group then “basically put that on hold.”
Attempts to reach Muoio or others connected with the club were unsuccessful.