Upgrades are coming to Centennial Park in Amherstburg.
Town council recently approved spending $1,060,000 to redevelop the park on Victoria St S.
Administration presented council with two options, and out of the two options, recommended option one.
Council agreed with administration and voted in favour of option one, which includes two tennis courts, two basketball courts, and an 800-metre walking trail with benches and trees, along with 10 accessible parking spaces and four chess/checker tables.
Councillor Linden Crain says, based on public consultations, the community wanted option one.
"I think it ties in the long-term care home that is under construction right now being built and the high school and the nearby residents; it really ties in an essential part of the town, and it's a park that needed some lifting," says Crain.
He says the upgrades have been a long time coming.
"Previous administration had recommended actually selling the park," he says. "So I'm glad it went in this direction."
Crain says the redevelopment fits the park and the neighbourhood.
"It is really, in my opinion, the final recreation investment, parks and recreation investment this council is investing in in this term, and we've made some significant investments in parks and recreation, and this really is the final piece," says Crain.
He says he's unsure when the work will begin.
The tennis courts in option one will be fenced, featuring simple lined courts, while the basketball courts will not be fenced and will also feature simple lined courts.
Option two included similar features at the same cost but did not include a walking trail.
The second option included two dedicated, fenced, and acrylic colour-coated premium tournament play tennis courts, along with two dedicated, fenced, and acrylic colour-coated premium sports courts, along with 10 accessible parking spaces and four chess/checker tables on accessible concrete pads.
Council previously set aside $530,000 in reserves for the upgrades and, during budget deliberations, was able to allocate the remaining money through different reserve funds.
Centennial Park was the former home of the town's arena complex.
The town also sold a piece of the property to the Greater Essex County District School Board for North Star High School.