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Mono council looks at improvements for Purple Hill Park in budget talks

November 27, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

When a town council gets out its figurative pocketbook with an eye toward annual municipal budget discussions, it is a good time to broach the state of a neighbourhood playground.

Mono resident Bradley Mayer-Harman said playgrounds and park facilities are generally updated in some fashion every 15 years or so. The Purple Hill playground hasn’t gotten any attention in that regard since about 2002.

He asked Mono council during its Nov. 26 meeting if something could be done for that site’s users.

“It is a budget item,” Mono Mayor John Creelman said. “We’re in the process of debating the budget. There is an allocation within the current draft budget for refurbishment of that park.”

It’s been a long road for the park’s users to draw attention to the site, and Mayer-Harmon has been on it at every step.

He told town council as early as October 2023 that he hopes to one day be able to bring his future grandchildren to a revitalized Purple Hill Park. He said then that the 3.87 acres of grass at the park were underutilized, and he suggested residents would benefit from the installation of a concrete multi-sports pad that can be utilized in summer and winter.

That was after area residents spent a winter maintaining an ice rink on the grassed portion of the park.

Mayer-Harman said he would like to see council recognize the effort and time the Purple Hill community has invested in the site.

“Based on what I’ve been hearing over the past (number of) meetings, it doesn’t sound like there’s a significant amount of push in this direction,” he said. “We definitely want to see some more action and less talk when it comes to Purple Hill Park.”

He said it seems Mono’s other playground facilities and parks get ample attention.

“We just don’t want it to be brushed under the rug for another year,” Mayer-Harman said. “I’m hopeful that this council takes it seriously and recognizes the effort that’s gone in the past to bring this to your attention.”

“Thank you very much for bringing it to our attention,” replied Councillor Melinda Davie.

She said she was waiting for his question about the playground because she was aware that members of the Purple Hill community had compiled a petition as part of their lobbying efforts for the park.

Creelman asked Kim Heaton, the town’s recreation director, to provide some details that have been discussed about recreation as part of setting the 2026 municipal operating and capital budget.

Coun. Elaine Capes interjected that the new annual spending plan hasn’t yet been finalized.

Coun. Davie said the Purple Hill playground has already been discussed and likely will come up again before the budget is finalized.

“This is an opportunity for Mr. Mayer-Harman to hear from Kim regarding this particular park,” Coun. Davie said.

“Does Mr. Mayer-Harman also want to hear that’s a two per cent increase to the tax rate?” Coun. Capes said.

“That is getting into the budget discussion,” Creelman said.

“So it’s only half a conversation we’re having here,” Coun. Capes said.

Creelman suggested Heaton speak on what’s in the budget and, later, explain the rationale for that when council continues budget deliberations. He said the funds could come from both reserve funds and taxpayer-supported sources.

Heaton said there have been recent discussions about replacing playground equipment at Purple Hill Park and a rubber surface at the site.

The requested amount is $250,000. There is $104,000 in recreation reserves, so the department requested an additional $146,000.

Creelman suggested Mayer-Harman take part in the coming budget discussions.

“I totally respect the fact that you’re being financially responsible as best as you can,” Mayer-Harman said. “But I do completely discard the notion that somehow there’s a special tax or the Purple Hill Park being maintained is somehow an additional tax on the community of Mono.”

The reality is that there are reserve funds and money every year to go toward maintaining such infrastructure. It isn’t fair to suggest Mono ratepayers’ taxes are going up because of work for the Purple Hill Park.

“Whenever you did parks in the past, you don’t tell everyone, say it’s because of this park we’re increasing taxes by two per cent,” Mayer-Harman said.

Coun. Ralph Manktelow said he’s a three-term councillor and he can’t recall blaming a tax increase on a particular item.

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