Disability Access News

Posted By BRENDAN WEDLEY
Posted 12 hours ago

An accessible children's water play facility could be the next project partially paid for by the Tollington Park Endowment Fund, the city arenas, parks and recreation advisory committee decided yesterday.

To get the project approved for funding from the endowment fund, both city council and trustees of the fund must sign off on the proposal.

If approved the fund would pay about $387,000 over the next three years towards the estimated $700,000 water play facility, city staff told the committee.

Coun. Shirley Eggleton supported the recommendation that will go to city council.

"It's something in this day and age that we need. Accessibility is extremely important to the children," she said. "Anyone can play in this facility and join in."

Public works manager Peter Southall told the committee the fund has about $2.1 million.

The city uses the fund's accumulated interest to help pay for eligible projects.

Gordon Tollington established the fund with a $100,000 deposit in October 1995.

Tollington, a retired General Electric engineer, died in 2001. He established the fund to assist in the betterment of all city parks. The Tollington Bridge in Beavermead Park was the fund's inaugural project in 1998. The trust fund contributed $85,249 to the project. The city used $382,257 for the completion of a high-level pedestrian bridge over the Trent Canal to extend the Rotary Trail just south of Trent University.

An accessible children's water play facility would offer outdoor water facilities in the summer for children with a disability, staff state in a report.

Rogers Cove on Little Lake has been identified as a possible location for the play facility.