WESTVILLE
After a request to help with a significant upgrade to Trenton Park, the Westville town council decided it would need to consult its finance department before it could make a commitment.
Jen Bethell, a representative of the Town of Trenton Hemlock Group, asked council for financial assistance for major upgrades to Trenton Park at Monday’s meeting. Bethell requested $13,200 from the Town of Westville, an amount based on the 8.8 per cent of the population of the region that Westville constitutes.
Bethell suggested that the amount be contributed over the course of two fiscal budgets.
In 2013, Bethell recruited 10 people to the Hemlock Group, in the interest of creating a four-season outdoor recreation facility, something she said is “more than restoring a park. It’s about creating tremendous progress for Pictou County.”
The amount requested of Westville was part of an overall anticipated cost of $2.68 million needed to upgrade the park. So far, the towns of New Glasgow, Stellarton and Pictou have agreed to provide financial support for the initiative. The Hemlock group is still awaiting a response from the federal government to a request for assistance.
Bethell said that, if completed, the work on Trenton Park would make it as great and popular a community asset as Victoria Park in Truro.
Bethell noted that recreational opportunities would be a great benefit to the region, and that features like a new splash park playground and other recreational facilities would provide those in a revitalized Trenton Park.
Bethell referenced exit surveys and surveys of people considering moving to the area, and a commonality between the two is that they all have expressed interest in outdoor recreational opportunities.
Bethell said that the amenities the Hemlock Group intends to develop in the park are “not high-overhead,” and include washroom upgrades, new signage, way stations, shade shelters, a picnic area and an upgraded parking lot.
She emphasized that creating an upgraded Trenton park would help Pictou County retain residents and encourage more people into the area – especially one that is accessible so that people from all walks of life can enjoy it.
Coun. Lynn MacDonald said that having an upgraded Trenton Park could be a great way to provide an asset to Pictou County, but contended that, “so many community properties in Pictou County need support,” expressing concern that there could be budget overruns in the cost of upgrading Trenton Park.
“Do we have the wherewithal in this county to continue supporting all these things we’re creating?” MacDonald asked.
Bethell, referencing consultation with the mayor, council and staff in Trenton, and her own background in project management, said there would be no requests for additional operational funding after the initial request of $13,200.
“We certainly put our heads down and brainstormed, working with Trenton. They’re saying ‘yes, we can afford this,’” said Bethell. “What we’re going to be putting in is affordable. A lot of the things don’t require operating costs.”
Coun. Lennie White said it would be best if council took a thorough look at the plan for the park upgrades, adding “you put work into that, and it behooves us to look at it.”
Mayor Roger MacKay attended a meeting hosted by the Hemlock Group in April, and at the time asked what if the municipality couldn’t afford the entire contribution they were asked for, noting that he was told any amount would be appreciated.
“We have a little park here we’re trying to improve here, every year, and …we’re certainly going to look at this,” said MacKay.
In response Bethell suggested splitting the contribution asked of Westville over three fiscal years.
MacDonald asked if there were any plans to implement camping at the park. Bethell said a campground will be viable once the park is developed with the new amenities planned.
After the decision to send the matter to the finance department, White reminisced about his memories saying, “I played in that park before it was a park, a lot of days of my youth. I know the value of it. I should have recognized the potential it had.”
