Guelph-Eramosa Township has taken the first step towards possibly expanding Rockmosa park.
Last week council approved a draft agreement with Barbara Bonner, who owns property adjacent to the existing park, for the purchase of 21 acres at a possible price of $375,000.
“This commits us to nothing – except looking into it,” Mayor Chris White said after council approved the agreement.
He later called the bylaw “a preliminary engagement to look at the what-ifs.” He said given proposed development in the south end of Rockwood, the extra land is needed at the park for future use.
“The reality is, Rockmosa is not big enough … and there’s hardly any parking,” White told the Advertiser.
He explained the township is being proactive with the draft agreement, because the property is the only developable piece of land left within the village of Rockwood.
“If all that land gets developed, we miss the opportunity to add to the park,” White said.
The mayor noted an expansion could possibly include a soccer field, outdoor skating pad and even a toboggan hill.
“That park is a central part of the town now,” he said, adding it was the Bonner family that sold the original 10-acre parcel to the township in the early 1970s.
If finalized, White expects much of the cost for the new land purchase to be covered by development charges already held by the township.
