By Pepper Parr
October 17, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The field has been re-graded, gravel screen laid down between the bases, the pitcher’s mound is no longer a place for water to gather, and home plate can actually be seen.
Pitchers mound and a level field – a bunch of boys made it happen.
There are new benches, the back stop has been replaced and safety fences were installed where the players sit waiting their turn on the field.
The rehabilitation of the ball diamond at Lakeshore Public school got done because a bunch of boys saw an opportunity with a grant program the city announced awhile back.
The getting of the grant for the Lakeshore school ball diamond was driven by Griffin Gervais, a grade five student who depended on his Mother to get him to meetings.
The ball diamond was in pretty rough shape: The grounds needed a serious leveling out – they had little rises and small shallow spots. The bases needed bags that were properly anchored – third base is currently a small hole that collects water.
The back stop is close to being ready to fall down. And the benches are kind of crappy.
Billy the Bandit poses with Griffen Gervais, MP Karina Gould on the left and ward Councillor Marianne Meed Ward.
The project got started when Griffen met Burlington’s MP Karina Gould and asked her if she could help him do something. Gould was about to explain the intricacies of Canada’s separation of powers when Ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward happened along, heard about the problem and said she was pretty sure what Griffin and his buddies wanted to do was possible under a program that was being rolled out by the city’s parks and recreation department.
The city had created a Neighbourhood Community Matching Fund that could put up as much as $5000 into a project that is designed to improve a community. The Parks and Recreation people were overseeing the program which meant a lot of paper work
The city had set aside $50,000 for the program last fiscal year and went into communities to talk up the program.
More than 200 people showed up on a bright sunny Saturday.
The objective wasn’t to just improve facilities but to help community’s work as communities where people would gather together and work on a common objective.
It was an amazing day with over 200 people coming out to celebrate. Evelyn Quist, Lakeshore Public principal took part in the festivities.
In Burlington some communities work very well – in others the cohesion needed to make a place work as community hasn’t developed. The Matching fund is intended for a project people want to see done in their neighbourhood.
It was a pretty rough looking ball diamond before Griffen Gervais and his buddies got started.
Proud parents – Griffen Gervais with his Mom Carrie and Dad standing in front of the new backstop.
Griffin project is going to come in at about $11,000 – they applied for the full $5000 from the city and fund raised to pull in the balance.
The community was expected to raise half of the amount needed. That half could be cash, or in kind materials. Any work that people did on the project was counted at the rate of $17.02 for each hour worked. 50% of any professional services that were needed could be included in the budget.
Denise Beard, Manager Community Development, made sure her staff did everything they could to make it work – including finding the insurance coverage needed.
Carrie Gervais, Griffen’s Mother rounded up the quotes needed from the Board of Education. They included $200 for a party in the park to celebrate their success which is all part of the city’s objective. They want people to come together, work together to make their neighbourhoods better places.
Related story:
In no specific order: Sawyer Cobham. Scott Rose, Griffen Gervais, Kayden Maslanyk discuss the problems with their ball diamond. They set to work raising the funds to rehabilitate the diamond which was official last Saturday.
