They say the best way to keep warm on a chilly day is to exercise, and proof could be seen among the children playing at the new Edgehill Park playground Thursday.
What started out as an empty park following overnight rain and a chill in the morning air was soon filled with the laughter of a dozen children playing on new swings, ropes, bridges, and other playground equipment.
Edgehill Park is the final of six Midland playgrounds in the past two years to receive a replacement and enhancement of its structures. This year, the playgrounds at Edgehill, Tiffin and Mac McAllen parks joined last year’s upgrades to Bayview Park, Pete Pettersen Park, and the town’s signature playground at Little Lake Park.
Mayor Bill Gordon was master of ceremonies as children squealed in delight in the background, through speeches from dignitaries about how the funding for the playgrounds was granted from the Canada Community-Building Fund, formerly known as the Gas Tax Fund.
“Nothing became more obvious throughout the pandemic than people’s desire for outdoor recreational spaces,” Gordon told MidlandToday.
He explained how the municipality reluctantly barricaded playgrounds when it was discovered they weren’t standard-compliant, but he noted since then, the town had invested “a significant amount of money to get these playgrounds replaced in a timely manner” with help from upper levels of government.
“It’s the partnerships with the upper tiers — whether it’s county, province or feds — which are absolutely imperative for small urban communities like ourselves,” said Gordon. “The smiles on the kids’ faces tell it all. This is why we do it.”
Andy Campbell, the town’s executive director of environment and infrastructure, said the Edgehill Park playground was slightly relocated from its original spot a short walk away.
“We put in this sixth new playground. It’s just under $1 million for those six playgrounds; this park is around $150,000 for this equipment,” said Campbell, whose voice was matched by the playful laughter of kids.
“Kids don’t care about the weather when there’s play equipment around,” he added in understanding, “and that’s why it’s important for our community.”
Midland CAO Rhonda Bunn said the park was beautiful, overlooking Midland Harbour. Councillors also attended, including Bill Meridis, Catherine MacDonald and Jamie-Lee Ball, who told MidlandToday that with three children growing up in Midland, she enjoyed taking them to playgrounds.
“I actually really like this one; it’s a natural setting on the water and I think it fits in really well with the landscape,” said Ball.
However, the most important words of the day may have come from three-year-old Rowan Everett, who said “climbing” was the best while he was ascending the climbing ropes, or perhaps he was just stating his focused objective. It was honesty from the mouth of someone who would enjoy the park the most.
It was impressive he could spare the attention away from his fun time, and his mother, Amanda, was pleased with the accessibility of all the newly built parks in town.
“There’s a whole bunch around now, which is really nice,” she said, adding, “I wish there was some shade for the hot summer days.”
A list of parks in Midland can be found here.