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Garisto bid for bocce ball courts referred back for staff study

June 28, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Baker

Former Orangeville councillor Nick Garisto’s attempts to bring designated bocce ball courts to the community this summer fell on deaf ears on Monday evening.

The former municipal politician spent the bulk of his last term on Council lobbying for the construction of bocce ball courts in town. He was ultimately unsuccessful. Now, Mr. Garisto says he has three “very serious” donors in place who would front the costs for building the courts.

“I would like to see bocce ball courts built on Rotary Park. I have some major players to contribute to it. I think we can get this done at no cost to the Town,” Mr. Garisto stated.

The proposal would see three courts, of differing sizes built at Rotary Park. The sport, Mr. Garisto says, has grown in popularity over the years, with a steady player-base here in Orangeville. 

“There are a lot of benefits to doing this. I think there is a place in town for this. It’s very good exercise for families, seniors especially. On a beautiful day, it would be nice to go down to the bocce courts and play. We need more for seniors in this town, and this would be a (good start).”

Construction costs for the project were not disclosed. Mr. Garisto said that while he’d like the Town to take on maintenance duties at the courts, he admitted it was something that could be done by the players themselves. With the courts being made up largely of sand, Mr. Garisto said the only maintenance that would be required is the occasional rake to level off the court. 

Mayor Brown indicated this wasn’t a decision Council was willing to rush into making. With the municipality in the middle of preparing a Parks and Recreation Master Plan, officials were hesitant to commit to what would be a significant project before its completion. General Manager of Community Services Ray Osmond noted that plan will be ready by next Spring. 

Unhappy with that resolution, Mr. Garisto made one final plea to Council to allow him to move forward with this project.

“I have the players in place right now. I have the donors in place right now. They want to go ahead with this. If we wait, they may not be willing to do it anymore,” Mr. Garisto said. “To wait for this Master Plan, that’s a long time. (After) sitting on that side of the table, I’m telling you the best approach and way to achieve this is to do it quickly.”

In the end, Council passed a motion to refer the issue to Mr. Osmond for consideration in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

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