Shamrock Park in Pembroke is going to get a facelift, if all goes according to plan – thanks to a new funding opportunity. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department gave the green light to submit the development concept which includes a stage, picnic tables, benches, streetlights and bike station. The Pembroke Business Improvement Area is submitting an application through the My Main Street program through the federal government.
Eligible grant costs for the project scope include:
• The building of a covered platform that could be used as a stage or other
programming space with electrical capabilities
• The purchase and installation of two new benches and waste receptacles
• The purchase and installation of two accessible picnic tables
• The purchase and installation of a chess board table
• The purchase and installation of a bike repair station and two bike racks
• The purchase and installation of two additional pedestrian streetlights
• Landscaping including some additional trees and shrubs
• Park signage and an information board with the history of the park
• The purchase and installation of a poop-and-scoop bag dispenser and signage
• An art installation
• Programming in the park
• A portable speaker
Ineligible grant costs for the project scope include:
• Hard landscaping with AODA-compliant surfaces
• Replacement of the parking meters in the park’s parking lot
• Running the underground electrical components to bring electricity into the park
The total eligible project expenses are estimated at $100,000. The total ineligible project costs are estimated at $51,000. The grant program works on reimbursement where the applicant pays up front and supplies receipts to receive the funds. With this project scope, the Pembroke Business Improvement Area (PBIA) will be the lead applicant, with the City providing the necessary supporting information and documentation. As the PBIA does not have sufficient reserve funds to cover the project costs, staff is seeking committee’s approval for the City to front the cost of the eligible project costs from the general capital reserves, with the grant funding returning to them. Part of the reason this project was deemed to be the most appropriate was to align the work with the Moffat Street reconstruction this year. That way the works can be planned with the street work in order to maximize the construction efforts. The Operations Department plans to include the ineligible project costs under the Moffat Street reconstruction project.
Staff from the Economic Development, Culture and Tourism, Operations, and Parks and Recreation departments, along with the Pembroke Business Improvement Area brainstormed and discussed a few potential projects for this grant program, ultimately deciding the enhancement of Shamrock Park as the best option with the most likelihood of success for the grant. Eligible work for the project must be completed by December 31, 2024.
(Written by: Kyle Robinson)
