PUMPED UP ON COURTS
Park upgrades celebrated
Windsor Express professionals, and some of the kids who will ultimately be dribbling and dunking there, were on hand Monday as new basketball and multi-use outdoor courts were unveiled at Forest Glade Optimist Park. “This is an investment in the heart of Forest Glade,” said Ward 7 Coun. Irek Kusmierczyk, who was joined by Mayor Drew Dilkens and Grade 5 students from L.A. Desmarais school. Kusmierczyk said the broken and rundown former courts were barely being used. “They were in really bad shape, the poles were rusted, the backboards crumbling, the surfacing cracked.”
The renovation project was made possible by a $200,000 injection of funding from the city ’s 2017 enhanced capital budget, along with about $25,000 in additional contributions from Canadian Tire, Cogeco’s YourTV and the Optimist Club of Forest Glade.
Two of the three new courts are for basketball, while the third multi-use surface is for a variety of sports, including pickleball. Even before the new fencing and backboards were up, Kusmierczyk said kids were already flocking to the courts.
The Windsor Express will be back next Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon for a “skills and drills” session with local basketball enthusiasts. The first 50 or so youth to join in will be given free basketballs. Kusmierczyk said it’s a great addition to what is already the centre of the community, with “a remarkable park” boasting a community centre, library, rinks, baseball diamonds, skateboard park and walking track. He said a splash pad will be added in about a year and a half.