Campbell’s Bay council voted on Sept. 2 to award $20,000 to community group The Parent Hive for its project to upgrade the town’s ballfield canteen.
The project was the winning submission in the municipality’s participatory budget initiative started this spring, a public call for projects with a total of $20,000 available between the municipality and the province’s municipal affairs ministry.
The ballfield canteen upgrade was one of two final projects chosen by the selection committee, and it won the public vote as part of the final round of selection in August.
Chanelle Fortin, committee member with winning group The Parent Hive, said when members began operating the canteen earlier this summer they saw a need for upgrades to the facility, including service windows, more fridge space and more storage for sports equipment.
“This would allow us to lend out sports equipment for baseball, pickleball, and tennis, giving more people the chance to get active and involved in community recreation,” she wrote in a message to THE EQUITY.
The existing canteen building is used for ball games, tournaments, festivals and community events. It was built in 1977 and last saw upgrades in 2018, when it was re-shingled and repainted.
Special project coordinator Jessica Nilsson, who led the participatory budget project, said she expects the rebuild will provide “a better user experience, more services like equipment rentals, stronger community pride, and new opportunities for fundraising and volunteering.”
She said construction will begin this fall, and the municipality expects to complete the work by May 2027.
