Farrow Miracle Riverside Park breaks ground - Action News
Home WebMail Thursday, November 14, 2024, 11:36 AM | Calgary | 6.4°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Windsor

Farrow Miracle Riverside Park breaks ground

A massive redevelopment of the old Riverside Arena site in Windsor's east end has broken ground. As part of the project, a cenotaph that was tucked away in an elementary school parking lot will be prominently displayed.

Controversially-placed cenotaph will be moved front and centre at the new park

City officials and donors come together for the groundbreaking of the Farrow Miracle Riverside Park. Bill Kell, far right, is the chairperson of the Windsor-Riverside Minor Baseball Association. (Sanjay Maru/CBC)

A massive redevelopment of the old Riverside Arena site in Windsor's east end has broken ground.

The Farrow Miracle Riverside Park will include a sports field, recreational pathway, and fully accessible playground. It will also be home to a relocated cenotaphwhich will honour Riverside's war heroes.

"We call this a field of dreams. This is truly a dream come true," said BillKell, chairperson of the minor baseball association.

The park is named after the late father of Rick Farrow, centre. He's joined by Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac. (Sanjay Maru/CBC)

The park is named after the late father of Rick Farrow, who donated $500,000 to the project.

The Town of Amherstburg has had a miracle field since 2011. City council gave approval for the Riverside park in September 2017.

About $2.2 million has been invested into the project since fundraising efforts started.

"It's going to cost us, to finish [the park] completely the way we want about three million dollars," Kell said.

He added the park should be completed by the fall, but minor league baseball games won't begin until spring.

When coming to the park from Wyandotte Street, the cenotaph will be front and center for people to see a far cry from its current location: hidden behind an elementary school parking lot. (Dale Molnar/CBC News)

Contention over the cenotaph

The relocated cenotaph was a point of contention for a Windsor man who was angry about the city's decision to relocate itto the back of an elementary school parking lot back in 2016.

Kell said the Legion Branch 255 moved the cenotaph there because it was the "only space they had."

"It was one of the first things that we first looked at when building the park. Where will we be able to put this in a place of prominence at the park?" Kell said.

He added the cenotaph's move will be one of the final steps of the park's development.

"It is the last part of a concrete curving that will be done," he said.