Marydale’s field of dreams has become a reality for the area’s accessible community.

Ontario’s first barrier-free park will start construction later this fall, say officials, with a hoped-for completion date scheduled for next summer.

The provincial and federal governments announced June 30 the contribution of $2 million for Marydale Park under the federal government’s Recreation Infrastructure Canada program. The federal government provided $1 million, while the provincial government contributed another $1 million.

“Today we realize a dream without barriers,” said John Spatazzo, executive director of the Catholic Youth Organization, and a major proponent of the park.

The money will be added to the $2 million of cash and in-kind donations that has already been raised from the community to build the facility. Mr. Spatazzo said the estimated cost for the park is about $4.5 million. Still, the CYO volunteers will continue to fundraise with the goal of collecting another $1 million.

“This will be a barrier-free facility, the first of its kind in Ontario,” said Tony Deluca, chair of the volunteer committee for Marydale. “People of all ages and abilities will be able to use it.”
Mr. Spatazzo said construction will begin within the next few days on building a road to the proposed land-locked Camp Marydale, located on 14.2 hectares in Glanbrook, adjacent to the Binbrook Conservation Area and Lake Niapenco. The construction of the facility, he said, is expected to begin this fall, and the facility opened by the summer of 2010.

“It is an aggressive schedule,” he said.

The facility will include: a 30 meter by 9 meter pool with sloped entry for wheelchairs; a therapeutic pool with a ramp; family change rooms with accessible washrooms; a playing field; accessible fishing platform; canoeing, sailing and pedal boats; hard surface paths and trails; indoor program space with health center; accessible washroom; roll-in shower and elevator; picnic area, and barrier-free parking at the entrance.

“This is a truly exceptional project,” said Niagara West-Glanbrook Conservative MP Dean Allison.

Under the federal RInC program, projects that are eligible for funding include shovel-ready projects, and “exceptional” new projects. Mr. Allison said the Marydale Park, which has been in the planning stages for a number of years, qualified as being overwhelmingly exceptional.
“It was not difficult to get 100 per cent behind this project,” he said.

Sophia Aggelonitis, Liberal MPP for Hamilton Mountain, called the new facility a “legacy project” that will encourage children from Hamilton, Niagara, and Haldimand to use it.

“This is what dreams are made of,” she said. “This will be an exceptional facility. We are building memories.”

Marydale officials since 2007 have raised about $2 million. Hamilton contributed $100,000 from the Glanbrook reserve fund, and provided an additional $100,000 in waving development charges and road allowance permits for the project.

“This is incredibly exciting,” said Glanbrook councillor Dave Mitchell, who represents the area the park will be located in. “It will become an excellent facility that will allow people from all ages and abilities to use.”