Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Napanee’s Rotary Club made their final payment instalment towards their namesake park on Thursday, presenting Greater Napanee mayor Gord Schermerhorn with a cheque for $50,308.
Coupled with donations made last year, the local club has given $125,000 towards the park located next to the splash pad, covering roughly half the bill.
“As you can see today, it’s being well used,” Schermerhorn said, standing in the middle of the park on Thursday afternoon and referencing the town’s camp group and several families who were in the park at the time. “Just a great addition to the municipality and I can’t thank the Rotary Club enough for the hospitality to me personally over the last 15 years but also the great work they’ve done in the municipality with this park.”
Thanks to the large donation from Rotary, the project came together rather quickly and helped fill the void left when the town’s outdoor pool was deemed beyond repair.
“I think it’s probably our biggest project,” Gilbert Myatt, a long time Napanee Rotary Club member said of the full accessible park. “Years ago we bought the land for the hospital, then we contributed to the hospital over the years. Originally there used to be an in ground pool here, we built that in the ‘60s.”
Matt says the club launched the park project as a way to help offset the loss of the Rotary pool.
After seeking input from the public, the park was officially opened last June as part of the Riverfront Festival festivities.