Parks plan and updates on three major projects subject of special meeting in Clarington Monday

Clarington residents will get a taste of the future of parks and recreation in the community Monday when the municipality teases an update on its Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan.

A special General Government Committee meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday to share the draft of the plan, which is the result of consultation from more than 3,000 people – residents, community organizations, staff and council – as well as extensive data, trends and analysis.

The plan outlines the strengths and opportunities in Clarington’s current parkland, programs and services, and what’s needed to grow with the community into 2036, from new recreation opportunities, connected trail systems, splash pads, bookmobiles and more parks and includes updates on three major community projects:

SOUTH BOWMANVILLE RECREATION CENTRE

Councillors, as well as residents in the chambers or listening in to the live stream, will get an update on design plans for the South Bowmanville Recreation Centre, a much-delayed project that has been on again, off again for more than six years because of rising construction and supply chain costs.

Clarington Council voted at a special meeting last October to spend $65 million to develop, design and construct the first phase of the new facility, which will include a gymnasium and multi-purpose rooms for registered and drop-in programs; a sports dome and indoor walking track; and an outdoor skating rink.

The project was actually approved in 2019 with a library built in (and a 25-metre pool being added in the second phase) but was put on hold in 2022 when costs skyrocketed to $134 million – more than double the original estimate.

The findings of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan is expected to identify the need for other amenities, such as indoor ice rinks, an aquatic centre, or other facilities.

BOWMANVILLE COMMUNITY PARK

Staff and Council is also ready to present an updated concept for the Bowmanville Community Park on the former Bowmanville Zoo lands, in collaboration with Valleys 2000.

The vision includes a signature park for the community that is tied to the natural and cultural history of the property, by honouring the legacy of Soper Creek and the former zoo and integrating the lands into the broader trail system.

A natural amphitheatre, outdoor classrooms, trails and abundant wildlife habitats are all part of the vision of the municipality and local non-profit group Valleys 2000 for the former Bowmanville Zoo, which first opened in 1919 as a campground and petting zoo and eventually morphed into a full-fledged zoo – the oldest private zoo in North America by the time of its closure.

The Zoo gained its fame by lending its exotic animals to Hollywood for the movie business – including Caesar, the African lion from Ghost in the Darkness and Jonas, the Bengal tiger from the Life of Pi. Elephants from the zoo were also regular participants in events such as the Bowmanville Santa Claus Parade.

The Zoo closed because of declining attendance after owner Michael Hackenberger was charged with numerous cruelty to animal offenses.

JURY LANDS

Cafateria Building

Clarington is also collaborating with the Jury Lands Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, to “rejuvenate and conserve” the Cafeteria Building, the largest heritage building at the Camp 30 site in Bowmanville.

The municipality’s vision is to repurpose these buildings using a process called ‘adaptive reuse,’ allowing the space to serve another function while conserving its history.

Clarington negotiated an agreement with landowners Kaitlin Corporation and Fandor Homes in late 2021, which included the immediate transfer of ownership of the Cafeteria Building, as well as portions of the property that have been identified as environmentally sensitive.

Camp 30 is the former Boys Training School and later Second World War prisoner of war camp. It initially opened in 1925 as a training school for delinquent boys. During the Second World War, it was used by the Allies as a PoW Camp for captured high-ranking German officers. It is the only known PoW Camp left in Canada, with original buildings dating back to that era.

In 2013, Camp 30 was designated as a National Historic Site and Clarington Council designated the site in 2018 under the Ontario Heritage Act.