New playground equipment officially opened at Co-An Park

Members of council from both Essex and Amherstburg, along with members of each town’s administration and accessibility committees cut the ribbon on the new playground at Co-An Park in McGregor last Friday afternoon.

Council members and staff from both Amherstburg and Essex gathered in McGregor last week to celebrate a new accessible playground.

The ribbon was cut on the new playground at Co-An Park last Friday afternoon with each of the two towns putting in roughly $200,000 apiece towards the new amenity. 

Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy called it a “historic occasion” in that councils and administrative members from two towns got together for one project.

“Today is really exciting,” Bondy said during Friday’s ribbon cutting.

Having a more inclusive playground for children at Co-An Park and the collaboration it took to get there made it an “exciting day for the Town of Essex and the Town of Amherstburg,” said Bondy.

The new playground will also help bring people together to enjoy a safe experience for children and parents.

“We are incredibly proud of this playground and it reflects our values,” she stated.

Bondy also thanked New World Park Solutions and company representative Mark Jones, who was also on hand for the official opening. She said the towns are “truly proud” of how it turned out.

Council members at last Friday’s ribbon cutting for the new Co-An Park playground included (from left) Essex Councillor Kim Verbeek, Essex Councillor Brad Allard, Essex Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley, Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy, Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue, Amherstburg Councillor Molly Allaire, Amherstburg Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb, Amherstburg Councillor Linden Crain and Amherstburg Councillor Don McArthur.

The towns are planning more upgrades to the park, she indicated, and those are being worked on.

“This is just the beginning,” said Bondy.

Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue said the town was happy to be part of the playground opening and that it is an improvement to the park.

“I know the park is not physically located in Amherstburg it is part of Amherstburg’s soul,” he said. “People from both sides of (Walker) road will utilize the park. I’m really delighted with how it turned out.”

Like Bondy, Prue also thanked both councils and both administrative teams, noting sometimes such projects are difficult to find money for but “we are spending it for a good reason” because it is an accessible playground.

A new concrete sidewalk has also been installed at Co-An Park, leading from the parking lot to the new playground.

New playground equipment officially opened at Co-An Park

By Ron Giofu