St. Marys council: Roadway through Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame to be named after Fergie Jenkins

One of the country’s greatest ever professional baseball players will receive a special honor this summer during the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s annual celebrations in St. Marys.

A roadway running through the hall of fame’s 13-hectare site will be unofficially renamed this June to Ferguson Jenkins Way, a nod to the legendary pitcher from Chatham whose prolific Major League Baseball career earned him a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown , NY

Politicians in St. Marys supported the move at a meeting Tuesday following a presentation from Scott Crawford, the Canadian hall of fame’s director of operations.

“Ferguson Jenkins exemplifies the spirit and grace of the game through his goodwill,” Crawford wrote in a letter to councilors prior to the meeting. “It is not an exaggeration to say that the success of the (Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame) has been aided directly by Fergie’s unwavering support and participation.”

During his 18-year career in the majors Jenkins pitched in 4,500 innings and recorded more than 3,000 strikeouts, one of only 11 players to reach those milestones. He is the first Canadian to win baseball’s Cy Young Award and the first Canadian to earn a place in Cooperstown.

Since his retirement, Jenkins, 80, has been a mainstay at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s induction celebrations every summer. For years, Jenkins has presented inductions with commemorative jackets and can often be found afterwards signing autographs, shaking hands and sharing stories with fans.

A statue in honor of Jenkins was erected outside Wrigley Field in Chicago last year. He spent seven years with the Cubs, including his Cy Young Award-winning season in 1971.

Jenkins, also an Order of Canada recipient, will be honored with a second statue in Chatham this summer.

Because the name change in St. Marys will be symbolic, homeowners at the bottom of Church Street won’t be affected, Crawford said.

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s induction weekend officially begins on June 15.

This year’s inductions include legendary Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jesse Barfield, former big-league pitchers Rich Harden and Denis Boucher, and longtime Manitoba baseball coach and executive Joe Wiwchar.

Design for revamped all-wheels park approved

A design has been chosen for the soon-to-be-expanded skatepark in St. Marys, now known as the Rotary All Wheels Park on James Street.

Politicians on Tuesday approved a concept that includes street elements and a combined pipe and pump track following a report detailing the results of public engagement sessions that took place over the past several months.

More than 400 people took part in a community-wide survey and staff also received feedback from students at area schools.

Two local scootering enthusiasts, Quinn and Sullivan Bolton, and their neighbour, Jean Alice Rowcliffe, launched an appeal to revamp the skatepark in St. Marys after earning council’s support at a meeting in 2021.

The project’s steering committee has since moved forward with a fundraiser with a goal of $250,000. The project has already received a $50,000 contribution from town hall and $100,000 from the St. Marys Rotary Club.

St. Marys moving forward with roof replacement at historic town hall

The 130-year-old slate roof on St. Marys’ historic town hall will be replaced this year.

Councilors awarded the $500,000 project to Robertson Restoration on Tuesday.

The town hall roof sprung a leak in October 2021, triggering closer inspections. After reviewing several options, staff in St. Marys determined spot repairs would be less cost effective than replacing the entire roof.

Work is expected to get underway quickly and continue until June 1. St. Marys Community Players and the theater company’s patrons will still be able to access the town hall theatre, but staff are still determining whether the general public will have access to the building – including its public washrooms – while the project is underway.

St. Marys Mayor Al Strathdee asked staff to consider keeping the public washrooms open.

“I think that’s something we should look at,” Strathdee said. “Every time we close them, we hear from the public.”