Ottawa has three more months beyond the original grant deadline to finish work on Thornton Park. The state grant for $305,100 came two years ago with a deadline of August 2022. City Hall negotiated for a delay to November, because it may take that long to finish the tennis and basketball courts.
Mayor Dan Aussem says they’re in such poor shape, they can’t just be patched and sealed. The contractor the city wanted a proposal from said they’d have to be completely replaced.
Construction crews are still working on the park almost every day, but that hasn’t stopped some people from playing on the playground equipment or sitting on the benches. The tennis court work isn’t the only work still to be contracted. Selecting a playground surface installer is on the agenda for a special City Council meeting Thursday morning.
To pay for the tennis court work, the city will use $100,000 that would have gone to Riordan Pool operations this year. The pool is closed so it can be torn out and replaced.
A park equipment installer works on a recent sunny day at Thornton Park.