Making a splash at North Shore Park with sod turning ceremony

Port Elgin Lions Club Splash Pad Committee members and their families, along with donors and dignitaries at North Shore Park in Port Elgin for the official sod turning ceremony on a wet and rainy Tuesday afternoon, May 2.

Hub Staff

The sod is officially turned and construction is set to begin on the Port Elgin Lions Club Splash Pad in North Shore Park after a sod turning ceremony on a wet and rainy Tuesday afternoon, May 2.

Fundraising committee members and their families, along with donors and dignitaries, gathered at the future site of the fully accessible splash pad marking a significant milestone.

“We're certainly making a splash today,” said Saugeen Shores Councillor Neil Menage. "This is a happy day."

The committee began fundraising in 2015, was given the green light by Saugeen Shores Council in December, 2016, and to date has raised 88 percent of their total $362,000 fundraising goal. Significant contributions from Bruce Power, Community Foundation of Grey Bruce, Eastlink, Rotary Club of Port Elgin and the Society of Energy Professionals; as well as donations from local businesses, families and individuals have been paramount to the campaign.

The Port Elgin & District Lions Club, for whom the splash pad will be named, gave a gift of $100,000 as well as a commitment to the project.

Splash Pad Committee member Amy Shute said she initially wanted to have the Children’s Festival and raise funds for children in the community. “We had our first meeting for the festival and decided a splash pad was something we wanted to focus on for our first fundraising project,” she said. “We thought it would be a good idea to involve a service club and we thought Lions would be the perfect club and they were quick to respond with a positive approach to the project so here we are.”

During the ceremony Shute said the splash pad will create an opportunity for children to have creative, exciting, sensory, adventurous play, something she said is important to any child’s development. Shute went on to say, “without your generous support and contributions this project wouldn’t be possible.”

Following the ceremony, Alanna Davidson, Splash Pad Committee member said, “When people work together, the municipalities, corporations, businesses and local volunteers, you can make anything happen.”

Saugeen Shores Director of Community Services Jayne Jagelewski spoke to those in attendance and said it was great to see that the weather hadn’t dampened anyone’s spirits. “Usually we can control the weather as a municipality," she joked. "So we truly hope that when we do the official opening the first time we turn the water on it will not be coming from the sky, it will be coming from the ground."

On behalf of Council and the community of Saugeen Shores, Mayor Mike Smith thanked the committee for all their hard work. “Congratulations and thanks to the group of people who got together with an idea to give something back to the community,” he said.

Construction of the 2,400 square feet splash pad is set to get underway on May 15 and is expected to be completed by early June with landscaping, trail connections, washroom upgrades and site furnishings including signage and benches.

The site will be open to the public by the end of June with a grand opening celebration set for June 29, a kick off to Saugeen Shores’ Canada Day festivities.

The fundraising committee is expected to reach 100 percent of their goal with donations still being accepted through the Town of Saugeen Shores municipal office or through the committee’s Facebook page. Donations received at the municipal office are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.

Port Elgin Splash Pad Committee members and their families at the official sod turning ceremony at North Shore Park May 2. An official grand opening is set for June 29.