Caledon & Palgrave Rotary unveil new park name & playground

May 31, 2018 · 0 Comments

Written By JASEN OBERMEYER

Caledon and the Rotary Club of Palgrave have unveiled the new playground equipment at the newly renamed Norma Bangay Park in Palgrave, which makes it accessible for everyone to enjoy.

The unveiling ceremony took place this past Monday (May 28) and saw nearly 100 people, including several members of Caledon council, the Rotary Club, and 30 kids, enjoy the beautiful weather and take part in the unveiling of the playground’s new play structures.

“The Town is extremely happy about this project and partnership with Palgrave Rotary Club – these renovations will make it easier for all visitors and residents to use the park and its facilities,” said Mayor Allan Thompson. “It’s new projects like this, partnering with organizations and groups who have been part of Caledon’s growth for many years that makes the town an open, inclusive and accessible place to live.”

A partnership between the rotary and the town, the park is fully inclusive and accessible gathering place for seniors, families and individuals with special needs. It represents an $85,000 investment for which the Town of Caledon is contributing $45,000 and Palgrave Rotary Club is contributing $40,000. The park was named after Norma Bangay, a former Palgrave elementary school teacher who passed away in 2012.

Several new features and renovations include: upgrades to playground equipment and surfacing; adding an accessible concrete path from the existing asphalt path to the playground equipment; two accessible swing seats to the existing swing sets; an additional two benches and two tables for seating; and two new park signs.

Derek Clark, the rotary club’s director of community service, thanked everyone for attending and those involved with the project, which started two years ago. “Today we are here to celebrate three very important milestones,” which are renaming the park, completion of the new park upgrades, and the kickoff of national accessibility week.

“The goal of this $85,000 project was to retrofit the existing park to make it fully inclusive, and an accessible play and gathering place for the entire community,” he added.

“It’s a lot better when we collaborate and make something,” commented Mayor Thompson.