Onondaga Ball Park Retrofit

So what are their taxes?

Generally this is a great plan. However a few questions/comments:
1. Hopefully existing trees planted last year can we repurposed in the park
2. NO WATER FEATURE! Water supply in the village is very compromised. No additional water taking from the groundwater sources should be allocated to this feature.
3. I support the idea from others' comments about a playfield (and see the interior of the walking loop fulfilling this request; perhaps to a smaller exent than some may hope). That said a large concrete pad is not ideal. Please give us a green surface that support water infiltration, kind surfaces for our children's knees and many more ecological benefits.
4. Highly support perennial gardens and would love to see native vegetation used in plantint. Perhaps our neighboring business Kayanese can help with design and supply. Some ID tags to support native plant identification would be lovely for all of us
5. Keen to learn more about the repurchased utility building.
Thank you for investing in the village!
- Erin, village resident

I agree with the previous comments, turning the park into paved walking trails is a waste of funding especially when neighbouring communities like Brantford and Caledonia already have that close by. The focus should be to either revamp the ball diamond so that it can be used or put in a soccer field or area that can be made into a outdoor hockey facility that can be used year round.

Yes, please a play structure for younger children! As a resident, I was really disappointed by the new structure and the lack of features for younger children.
I really love these features.
I understand peoples' disappointment that these walking paths don't provide an extensive walk, but I think they'd still be fun for kids to run around while at the park, and they provide easier points of access to the park for those of us living in the village coming from different directions.

I would really love to see a covered gathering area with picnic tables. This park gets really hot in the summer because the new trees are still so young. And a larger covered gathering area would be great for things like birthday parties and community events.

(I want to emphasize again YES PLEASE to additional playground area for younger kids!)

I agree with Madison and Mattie. We also have three kids(7-5-5) and the proposed plan. The space is too small for walking trails. We have used the play park and baseball field for the kids to play various sports. We do have alot of kids in the area who play hockey and always have a hard time finding places to play. A large concrete pad they could play ball hockey in summer and flood in winter would have tremendous use on a regular basis.

I agree with Mattie, we live 5km away from the park but it is unwalkable which means we would have to pack up our toddler to drive to the park. We have no need to drive to the park just to walk on a path. I would like to see some sort of sports field there so we could maybe have local teams instead of driving into the city. A soccer field or the baseball diamond would be ideal.

Hello,
So I’ve taken some time to think about the proposed retrofit and well I support Onondaga getting some much needed funding I do not believe this is a good use of funds. As someone who lives 3kms away, I would not pack up a stroller or kids bikes/scooters/rollerblades etc for a small paved trail that leads no where. We aren’t able to walk to this park, due to its location off hwy 54 - so for us to drive to a paved walking trail I would continue driving for a longer path either in Brantford or Caledonia. As a young family who used the ball diamond twice last summer and hoped to continue to use it in the future - I would love to see the ball diamond stay! Onondaga has a strong history of baseball and we are hoping to see it revitalized with the next generation. Any organized sports our kids do are in the city of Brantford, Caledonia or a distant part of Brant - I would love to see something more local take shape.

For this space I would also love to see a larger multipurpose full sized- pad created, that could be used for basketball, tennis, badminton, ball hockey or even to flood in the winter for an outdoor rink! Some lights to keep it safe and seating would also be great.
The park equipment could be greatly improved - what is there is not spectacular. For years our young kids could not use it - the slide was impossible for little climbers to master, and other features were unreachable. Some of the new city of Brantford parks are wonderful - i would love to see this one improved on/added too and more accessible for all kids (ramps as well as ladders)

I thought when I first learned of this project, the ball diamond was was going to be part of the plan. Is the ball diamond definitely off of the table?

I'm a resident with two young children (5 and 2) and I would highly recommend adding play equipment for younger children. The current slide is extremely dangerous and basically useless for any child under the age of 4.

A bathroom of some sort should be considered. Even as simple as the ones found throughout Mohawk Park.

Lastly, has the county considered a splash in the Onondaga area? The children residing in this area have to drive miles to enjoy this type of thing. Paris, Burford, St. George all have one, it's time that Onondaga be considered as apart of the county.

Other things to consider are; a sand box/area for the kids and have you thought about a community garden area?