Revitalizing Ryan Heights neighbourhood begins with larger playground

By the summer, the densely-populated Ryan Heights neighbourhood will have a playground large enough for the number of children who live nearby.

The playground currently only has of a couple of swings and a small slide, yet close to 1,300children call Ryan Heights home.

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Carol Belangerand her 11-year old son Jacobare excited for the improvement. She says it's been a long time coming.

"I think we do need something like this, 'cause some people have been here longer than I have, and they've never had anything brand new," she said.

"I think it going to be a good situation for the kids."

The neighbourhood association has acquired two grants to cover a play structure worth between $60,000 and $80,000.

Accessible playground

One of those is a $50,000Enabling Accessibility federal grant through Employment and Social Development Canada. This will allow for the playground to be fully accessible.

The structure will include ramps, swings and wood fiber ground surface, according to Sudbury Leisure Services'srecreationco-ordinator Ginnette Forget-Rose.

"Right now what we have is a very small structure, very little opportunity to engage all the kids or parents," she said.

The play structure will also include a slide, a climbing apparatus and play panels.

Forget-Rose says the playground will be comparable to those at the Howard Armstrong Centre in Hanmer, RidgecrestPark in New Sudbury and James Jerome sports complex on Centennial Drive.

Ryan Heights Neighbourhood Association PresidentSeanWilkinson says he hopes the playground improvements will help change theatmosphere around the neighbourhood, as there are currently few other options for youth.

"If they've got somewhere fun to play they're not doing something else around the neighbourhood. They're not vandalizing, they're not beating up other kids in the neighbourhood.," he said.

"They're just playing and being kids."

When his grandchildren come to visit, Wilkinson saystheir main complaint is a lack of activities.

"That's the one thing they've always said ...'I wish there was more to do at the park'," he said.

"And that's what we're trying to change."

Forget-Rose expects the playground to be installed in early summer, likely ready for children to start playing on it sometime in July.

Ryan Heights falls is part of Ward 5 city councillor Robert Kirwan'sturf. He says wants to see a revitalization ofthe neighbourhood.

"I want people to say,'this is Ryan Heights,' with a whole different attitude, within a couple of years," Kirwan said. "Ithink we're going there."

A community farm will sprout up this spring, just beyond theplayground area,and the local English public school board has plansto build a new Queen Elizabeth Public School oncurrent school grounds.

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There is also a plan to build a six story, 60-unit seniors complex. Kirwan says that a request for proposal for this project will go before city council in April.

The city has applied for a $6-million grant to fund construction of the apartment complex. If the city is approved for this application, Kirwan says,then construction couldbegin in thesummer.