Concepts presented for Harrow’s Fairground and Soccer Complex - public feedback wanted

by Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative

The Town of Essex presented the anticipated Master Plans for Harrow’s Fairground and Soccer Complex during a well-attended open house held last Thursday evening at the Harrow & Colchester South Community Centre.  

  Community members and facility users were able to talk to Town staff and members of Council during the open house to share their opinions, concerns, and learn about next steps. Feedback will be collected over the coming weeks, and can be done on the project webpage at: essex.ca/en/news/harrow-fairground-master-plan-open-house.aspx

  Jake Morassut, Director of Community Services, was pleased with the interest in the projects, as around 80-90 attended the open house. Many of those who stopped in were from pickleball or tennis groups.

  “People have a serious interest in what is going to happen with this complex,” Morassut said. 

  He noted the Town was presenting two concepts for the Harrow Fairgrounds for residents to consider; one more ambitious, while the other was more in tune with utilizing existing resources without relocating amenities.

  There is no specific timeline for the Master Plans, but they will look at the short, medium, and long-term. Timing will depend of available funding.

  “From this meeting, we want to take all of the feedback we get, merge both drawings into one – whether there are additions or subtractions, maybe [include] some of the other ideas from the community that they like – and take those things into consideration with our consultant, pop it onto one design, and then get Council approval,” Morassut said.  

  The idea is to get feedback on what facility users like, where they like amenities placed, or hear different ideas.

  Initially, the design was for the Harrow Fairgrounds area. As staff started to go through the project, they realized Council had shown an interest in having gymnasium and community space when considering what to do with the neighbouring Harrow High School. The school footprint was put up for sale.

  The two concepts for the Harrow Fairgrounds proposed amenities, such as stage, expansion to the Recreation Centre building, and green space.

  Harrow does not have a dog park currently, but it is something frequently asked for over the past few years. He noted the Essex Centre Dog Park was put in with the help of a fundraising committee. With the potential of someone stepping up to raise funds through a group, or through sponsorship and naming rights, staff wanted to find a space where it could be located on the Harrow Fairgrounds.

  There are three possibilities, of which one would require getting rid of a small baseball diamond at the back and utilizing the space for it there, or using another diamond, which has been used twice in the past two-years. It is a fenced in area. The Town wanted to solicit public feedback on repurposing that diamond as a dog park.

  In addition, Morassut said the tennis and pickleball courts on the site need to be refreshed, as they are towards the end of their lifecycle.

With all that in mind, it made sense to add in the Harrow Soccer Complex into the project, as that would be a prime location for the Town to relocate the tennis and pickleball courts, which would bring more activity to the Roseborough Road recreation location. He noted the Town is not seeing a lot of soccer take place there, with the grounds used around twice a week, eight to ten weeks a year. There could also be some travel opportunities.

  There are currently two junior, two intermediate, and two senior fields onsite.

  Based on the plan, moving the courts there would not impact the soccer fields currently there. That could change as more public feedback is collected. Instead of having three multi-use courts, there would be two tennis courts and four for pickleball. 

  That is also based on how the Town’s Asset Management Plan functions, which would cover the replacing of the tennis courts. Going beyond replacing what exists, the Town would have to find a funding model and the space to do so, Morassut said.  

  Morassut did not hear any feedback from the community during the open house that relocating the tennis and pickleball courts would be an issue. He did hear back, however, from tennis and pickleball players that they would like more courts.

  The Harrow Soccer Complex Master Plan also includes a space for the future Harrow Fire Station, which Council voted would be located there at the April 7 meeting. That night, Council also approved committing just over $45,000 post-budget to establish a Tree Nursery at the Harrow Soccer Complex; of which $30,000 will come from an Enbridge Gas grant and $15,234.60 will come from the Town’s Green Fund Reserve.

  Nothing else is proposed to change for the Harrow Soccer Complex.

  A report on the findings, including potential costing, will be tabled for Council consideration, once the feedback is considered. Morassut is eyeing early next year to solidify the entire plan. If he gets good feedback on the dog park, he may be able to present a plan for that, which would be a quick win for Council.

  Many hands have been involved in the plans to date, Morassut said, explaining the importance of connecting with residents and user-groups to ensure the plan is solidified correctly.