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Discussion about a potential anniversary celebration of Earl Haig Family Fun Park made some waves recently in the city hall council chamber.
Things began swimmingly as Coun. Mandy Samwell read her resolution calling for a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Civic Swimming Pool on the site that is now known as Earl Haig Family Fun Park.
Samwell wanted city staff to coordinate a community event in the summer that would include entertainment and attractions and waive entry fees for a day as part of the celebration. Up to $15,000 was proposed to be taken from a council priorities reserve to cover the costs.
But the waters got a bit rough when some councilors began to question the dates related to the history of the Market Street South site.
Samwell wanted the anniversary celebration to be this summer, marking the opening of the civic swimming pool in July 1923. But some other councilors felt the anniversary would be more appropriately celebrated in in 2029, marking 100 years since the facility was renamed the Earl Haig Pool .
“The civic pool opened in 1923 but that no longer exists,” said Coun. Rose Sicoli. “The Earl Haig name wasn’t established until 1929, so one might suggest it might be more appropriate to celebrate this in 2029. I think we’re kind of grasping at straws to have the celebration this year.”
Sicoli later received support for an amended resolution putting off the celebration to 2029, saying “our council priorities account is at basically zero and we’re just making up an anniversary.”
count. Linda Hunt pointed out that council recently approved $10,000 to mark the 25th anniversary of its designation as the Tournament Capital of Ontario, and $25,000 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the rebuilt Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre.
“The fact that the City of Brantford has had a pool, call it whatever name you want, at that location for 100 years” makes it worthy of a celebration this year, said Hunt.
count. Brian VanTilborg called it the “honorable and right thing to do.”
count. Greg Martin argued the current water park has undergone several transformations over the years and there was a period of time when nothing was at the site when one facility was being razed to make way for another.
count. Richard Carpenter said he worries the water park won’t be there in six years.
“If we put this off to 2029, my fear is that it won’t be there. There seems to be some idea this is going to become some kind of entertainment district.
“Why would we defer anything that gives us the ability to celebrate our past? Exactly when the park was named Earl Haig is not relevant.”
count. Dan McCreary said he has no issue with a festival and offering free admission for a day but said it shouldn’t be tied to an anniversary this year, citing “a great deal of misinformation in the listing of the history of this place.”
Mayor Kevin Davis said the anniversary should be closely tied to the park being named in honor of Earl Haig. Field Marshal Douglas Haig was a decorated senior officer of the British Army during the First World War.
An emotional VanTilborg said councilors were “playing semantics.”
“I think everybody in Ward 5 might be pretty frustrated with the antics of this council and the decision we’re making.”
At the request of Davis, VanTilborg withdrew his reference to council’s “antics.”
However, Van Tilborg stood and left the council chamber prior to the vote on the matter.
“As the member left, he made a comment that this assembly was disgusting,” said McCreary. “I’d like the assembly that didn’t hear that to know.”
An amended resolution moving the consideration of a 100th anniversary celebration from this year to 2029 was carried in a 7-3 vote. Final approval is needed at an upcoming council meeting. In favor were councilors McCreary, Martin, John Sless, Gino Caputo, Michael Sullivan, Sicoli and Mayor Davis. Opposed were councilors Samwell, Carpenter and Hunt.
TIMELINE
July 6, 1923 – “Nestling among ‘The Willows’ in Eagle Place, is one of the assets of the city of Brantford – a new civic swimming pool,” The Expositor said of the opening of the 137-foot by 240-foot pool with a willow grove on two sides on Market Street South.
April 16, 1929 – Property adjacent to the civic swimming pool, commonly known as “the swimming pool park,” is named Earl Haig Park in honor of Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, a senior officer of the British Army in the First World War.
1956 – The pool is overhauled after water from the Grand River began seeing into it.
April 1983 – City council decides not to open Earl Haig Pool that summer. The pool had been plagued by repair problems for a few years.
June 1983 – Earl Haig pool is demolished by Meszaros Wrecking to make way for a new facility.
June 23, 1984 – Four Brantford boys take the first plunge into the new $470,000 municipal pool, which opened at Earl Haig Park. The facility included a clover-shaped pool, a heat whirlpool area, 50-foot long slide and a stretch of artificial turf.
June 1989 – Waterfront Park is opened by private investors to replace Earl Haig Pool. It included an 18-hole mini-golf course, a 600-foot “lazy river,” a leisure pool and slide, wading pool and batting cages.
1995 – Owners of Waterfront Park agree to turn over assets of the facility to the City of Brantford in exchange for a contract to manage the park for 10 years.
1996 – The city assumes operation of the park, which is renamed Earl Haig Family Fun Park.
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