A master plan to upgrade and improve Walker Homesite Park in Windsor has received approval, but funding is still needed for the project.
City council has approved a plan that calls for an estimated $3.7 million worth of work at the park but that a decision on funding be considered during the city's 2025 Capital Budget deliberations as the work would require additional expenditures that are not currently included in the 10-year capital plan.
Walker Homesite Park is owned by the city and is located at 1900 Seymour Blvd. in the Devonshire Heights neighbourhood of Windsor.
The park serves as the home location for the Walker Homesites Athletic Club, which runs a house league and travel baseball program for ages 4 to 22.
Mark Ruttle, President of the Walker Homesites Athletic Club, says in the past they've hosted many successful provincewide tournaments, but parking challenges and diamond conditions have forced them to scale back on hosting.
The plan calls for upgrades to the playing surfaces, dugouts, and bullpen facilities at all three baseball diamonds, the expansion of one outfield to include fencing adjustments, and protective netting to provide improved protection from foul balls for neighbouring properties.
Ruttle says drawing players to a baseball program is a challenge because there are so many choices out there for families on where they want to play.
"Having the upgraded facilities would help us attract qualified, dedicated coaches, which then in turn attracts a high-calibre player, and it just is going to improve the program overall," he says.
Ruttle says he would like to see the plan phased in over the next five years and take care of some of the less expensive things right now.
"Waiting 10 years for something like this; who knows what could happen in 10 years and a new council comes into play. I think it's important for the kids that are committed to playing at Walker Homesite Park that we do this service for them," he says.
The Walker Homesites Athletic Club has served over 200 families per year, on average, over the past three years alone.
Ruttle says baseball is still alive in Windsor.
"Baseball is still here, still going strong. We have many, many kids that come out of our baseball program's in Windsor that accept scholarships to universities in the states. We have several kids playing for St. Clair College, the university's baseball program. So we have successful programs here and kids that go on to bigger and better things," he says.
The proposal would also include new lighting, a new electronic LED scoreboard, an upgraded landscaping plan for the entire park, along with needed drainage and parking lot improvements.