NIIPAWIN 鈥� Plans are underway by the Rotary Club of Nipawin Passport club to give East Pleasantview Park a facelift with new equipment and the addition of the Rotary Club to its name.
鈥淭he equipment there is becoming outdated and some of it has probably been there since the beginning of time,鈥� said Joyce Watts, Rotary representative. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e looking at doing the fundraising and writing grants and that kind of thing to upgrade the park.鈥�
Council gave approval for the planning and renaming at their regular meeting on June 14.
As the club reaches 75 years in Nipawin this month, Watts said they wanted to work on a project that would give back to the community, have Rotary鈥檚 name, and be something they can be involved with for the next 75 years.
鈥淚t鈥檚 to enhance the community in the Pleasantview area and provide a safe and enjoyable play area that all ages can benefit in outdoor activities. By a club doing this or a service group or individuals it also helps reduce the burden of taxpayers.鈥�
Some of the upgrades they鈥檙e looking to potentially include are a zipline, swings, benches, a covered shelter, slides and additional playground and cubical structures.
The crokicurl and skating rinks are planned to be retained.
鈥淚t might be done in stages,鈥� Watts said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at a three year turnaround, but hopefully we can do it faster than that.鈥�
She said they have received recommendations from PlayWorld that a rubber surface would be the best for the project due to being able to be accessed with wheelchairs.
鈥淲e鈥檒l also be looking for any suggestions from the public to make this truly a community park and meeting the needs. We discussed if there is a need for fencing because there is no sidewalk.鈥�
Past projects by the club include ball diamonds by the swimming pool, as well as a livestock barn, band shell and swinging bridge at the Nipawin & District Regional Park.
A budget is planned to be completed by the end of August, following which will be the fundraising process.
鈥淚t鈥檚 legacy as well, so if a family would like to give some funds to Rotary, let鈥檚 say a light stand, their name would be attached to that light stand as an example.鈥�
For those wanting to donate funds or make suggestions, Watts said they can message the Rotary Club through Facebook or call her at 306-276-3195. A Facebook page for this project specifically is planned to be created at a later date.
