Donald Teuma-Castelletti
QUYON July 28, 2018
Pontiac MNA and Minister of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transport Electrification André Fortin has announced over $165,000 in funding for three parks in the area.
Joined by representatives from the Muncipality of Pontiac, as well as a Campbell’s Bay councillor, at the Quyon Tractor and Truck Pull on Saturday afternoon, Fortin detailed the distribution of funds and need for the upgrades.
“It’s always fun to be back home and to be able to talk about good news projects for your home community first, but for the Pontiac community in general, as well,” said Fortin.
“Everybody here can certainly talk to the importance of … sports infrastructure and recreational infrastructure to attract families to the area,” he continued.
Three parks will benefit from this: the Luskville Recreational Park, the Quyon Recreational Park, and the baseball diamond in Campbell’s Bay.
Meghan Lewis, the recreation and community life coordinator for the Municipality of Pontiac, explained that communities were asked what they would like to see done within their areas. With those responses from 2016 in mind, they have pursued funding in order to meet the communities’ expectations.
Luskville will receive $82,914 for upgrades to the lighting system at the baseball diamond, the addition of protective netting, plus a children’s play area.
Quyon will see major renovations to their park with the purchase of a whole new play structure, as the old one has seen some portions removed due to safety issues. As well, this project will incorporate the town’s wish for a splash pad within their community. Quyon received $56,624 at this announcement.
“Last year, when I came here for an event and I took my little girl to play [at the playground], I’m like, ‘Yeah, these are the exact same structures that were there 30, 35 years ago when I played on them,’” said Fortin, of the Quyon play structures.
“The playground over by the [Quyon] community centre, I just learned today is the fact that the old slides that I, too, slid on 50 years ago – which burnt my bottom each time – have been removed,” said Municipality of Pontiac Mayor Joanne Labadie. “They’re no longer up to standards and have been removed, so we’re looking forward to having those replaced with this money and also incorporating the splash pad into the design.”
Work in Luskville is expected to start soon, according to Lewis, while Quyon is still in the early phases of planning for their upgrades.
The baseball field in Campbell’s Bay will see their lighting system greatly improved, receiving $27,156 from the province. The upgrades will make the lighting more feasible and economic, according to Lois Smith, a councillor from Campbell’s Bay.
She highlighted that the baseball diamond is a regularly busy spot in town, hosting an annual ball tournament as well as becoming a recent hot spot for seniors to attend on Sunday evenings.
“Even the seniors have a team that come Sunday night to play,” said Smith.
Smith added that the spot is greatly accessible for locals, as well as nearby municipalities like Litchfield.
In total, $166,694 was distributed on Saturday as a part of phase four of the Financial Support Program for Sports and Recreational Facilities, Sports and Physical Activity Development Fund. Fortin was joined by Labadie, Lewis, Municipality of Pontiac Councillor Susan McKay and Smith for the announcement.
