While it appears that Goliath has the upper hand, David is still fighting the good fight.
In the aftermath of Peterborough city council’s April 8 vote reaffirming the planned $4.4 million redevelopment of Bonnerworth Park to accommodate 16 pickleball courts, an expanded skate park, a bike pump track and an 80-vehicle parking lot, neighbouring residents vehemently opposed to the plan have organized in a bid to draw wider support.
The Save Bonnerworth Park website at savebonnerworthpark.ptbo.org went live on April 25. A related online petition, which urges ‘city council to consider the impact on our community before proceeding with this redevelopment plan,’ had garnered almost 1,300 signatures and messages of support as of Tuesday (April 30).
Visitors to the Save Bonnerworth Park website can order lawn signs and watch a video that outlines residents’ concerns with the noise impact that the pickleball complex will have on their quality of life, the loss of their neighbourhood greenspace, and what they claim was a flawed process in terms of notification that the park was being considered for redevelopment, and what the scope of the plan was.
While it would seem the park’s redevelopment is a done deal, group member and Middleton Drive resident Richard Scott says that’s not the case.
“The final approval of the detailed plans rests with (city) staff,” he says. “Council does have the ability to put that approval authority at the council level again. So that’s one thing we’re working on with our councillors (Joy Lachica and Alex Bierk) to have happen so we have another chance to express the community’s views before any final approval.”
VIDEO: Save Bonnerworth Park Peterborough April 2024
“Council has delegated final approval to staff,” Scott adds. “The city keeps saying the plan that was presented on March 21 (at a public consultation meeting) was an initial cut at it. The communications we’ve had suggest there’s room for some sort of rearrangement of the plan.”
“They’re now undertaking the technical studies — a noise study, a parking and traffic study, a storm water study, and a geotechnical study. Typically these studies would have been done at the front end of the planning process, not at the back end. That’s one of the issues we have.”
Scott says he has been told by a city official that study results will be posted on the city’s public consultation website at www.connectptbo.ca/bonnerworth-park, offering the public the chance to provide input on their findings.
In the meantime, Save Bonnerworth Park will continue to petition for support.
Elaine Gerelus, who with her husband John also lives on Middleton Drive, says support received so far has come from across the city, not just those living in the vicinity of Bonnerworth Park who will be most directly affected by the redevelopment.
“What we’ve found out through this process is once people learned about it, they’re appalled that this greenspace is being completely taken away … it makes no sense to them,” she says
“It’s great to see the outreach of people. If I mention it, people say ‘We had no idea that this is going on. Can you give us the link to the website?’ It’s become a grassroots movement that’s growing organically.”
Among the many who have signed the online petition and commented is former Peterborough mayor Sylvia Sutherland, who wrote “It is a travesty to locate 16 pickleball courts and a parking lot in this greenspace in a residential area.”
Many of the signers take aim at the expenditure itself, noting there are too many pressing priorities in the city to justify the outlay of $4.4 million.
One respondent, who identifies herself as a pickleball player, wrote she doesn’t agree with “paving greenspace or putting it (the pickleball court complex) in the middle of a neighbourhood.”
Another signer argues simply “Parks are not for cars” while another asks more bluntly “Who died and left pickleball players in charge?”
To the last point, Gerelus makes it clear that she and her neighbours “have nothing against pickleball.”
“It’s a great sport — I’ve played it,” she says. “I understand that there’s a place for it, but plowing over a beautiful greenspace at the expense of a larger community that uses that park is not acceptable.”
“I agree with a lot of the comments (posted with the petition). I have wondered why this is such a priority when we have far more serious issues in the city right now. I understand the frustrations.”
Moving forward, Scott says Save Bonnerworth Park will “communicate with city staff to make sure we get advance notice of when the study results are posted.”
“Given the fact that councillors were blindsided by the plan at the March 21 open house, they’ll also be on this. They don’t want to be blindsided again. So we’re going to be in constant communication with staff to make sure the studies are timely and don’t move ahead before they’re confirmed as complete and thorough. We believe they should come to the right conclusions.”
Meanwhile, Gerelus et al — who have paid for lawn signs available from the Save Bonnerworth Park website out of their own pocket and are distributing them — remain buoyed by the city-wide support.
“When you have this many people saying the process is flawed, there’s something there,” she says. “Nothing about this seems right. The opposition is growing day by day. Why are they (councillors) not listening to their constituents?”
Scott says members of the group have faith in their power-in-numbers approach.
“You have to be an optimist,” he says. “You have to think about everyone who’s not being represented, or hasn’t been represented, in this process, and who will suffer because of that.”
“The city has a chance now to actually engage in a good faith process. An example is these background studies. They say they will have another public meeting to display the final draft plan. We want to make sure they’re not in the background putting a contract out to tender while they’re still consulting. We want to make sure there’s fair due process.”
“We want to hold their feet to the fire. Show us that your strategic plan says transparency, openness, and collaboration. Our experience has been the exact opposite of what the city says it aspires to.”
