Postmedia Staff
Published on: January 16, 2020
A new, accessible playground, the first of its kind in Sarnia, opened at Canatara Park in early December.
More than a playground, the wheelchair-accessible play structure atop a poured-in-place rubber base, also features nearby benches with built-in games tables, a stage area for theatre beside the existing picnic pavilion, and exercise equipment.
“We just wanted to create a space that, whether you’re playing or a caregiver here to watch their kids play, there’s something to do,” said city recreation and planning manager Ryan Chamney.
The project cost roughly $335,000, and was partly funded with $80,000 and $90,000 in total from all three of Sarnia’s Rotary clubs.
“We got a lot for what we spent,” said Chamney.
The Canatara Park ” Rotary Clubs of Sarnia Accessible Playground and Community Hub project is step one of nine in accessibility upgrades eyed for playgrounds in various city parks, he said.
Tecumseh Park is up next. Work is planned to start there later in 2020 and likely wrap up in 2021, Chamney said.
The Sarnia-Lambton Centre Communautaire Francophone unveiled its newly upgraded kitchen facilities on Dec. 6, a project completed thanks to a $133,500 capital grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey joined community centre staff, contractors and a contingent of students from the neighbouring St. Francois Xavier Secondary School to formally open the kitchen during a launch-and-lunch recognition ceremony.
The centre’s newly refurbished and enlarged kitchen, which includes a brand new stove, a state of the art dishwashing station, new cabinets and a special range hood designed to address air circulation issues, will allow far more people to access the wide variety of cooking classes offered at the centre, said community centre president Tanya Tamilio.
After the grant was approved, local contractors got to work in order to make the facility much more accessible for teaching purposes and more amenable for hosting larger community events such as holiday celebrations, baby showers or weddings, Tamilio said.
“Our old kitchen was more of a residential-type kitchen, so we couldn’t really do cooking courses in there ” we had to bring in tables and put them outside of the kitchen just to hold classes,” she said. “This permits everyone to be back inside the kitchen.”
Whether the new kitchen’s users are St. Francois Xavier students simply learning how to make healthy after-school snacks or new mothers learning the ABCs of cooking for their newborns, the refurbished kitchen will definitely serve many needs within Sarnia-Lambton, Tamilio said.
In December, it was announced that transportation company Voyago had been selected for an intercity bus service contract between Sarnia, Strathroy-Caradoc and London which was set to begin in April 2020.
The service, completely funded until 2023 through a $1.45-million Ontario Community Transportation grant, is set to run three round trips daily, five days a week ” and two round trips per day on weekends ” using accessible 20-foot buses with 20 to 25 seats.
The London-founded bus company formerly known as Voyageur ” acquired by Transdev Canada in April” beat out about five other bidders for the route that will also include stops in Komoka and Mt. Brydges.
“It came down to I’d say a combination of experience, and then, within the budget, getting as many round trips as possible at the times we think the service will be utilized,” Makrakos said about Voyago’s selection.
Original at https://www.sarniathisweek.com/news/local-news/year-in-review-december-3