Construction of a new cricket field will start soon at Derwent Park.
The open field area behind the Children's Safety Village will be closed to the public starting today (April 14) until late July as work commences.
The $1-million project will see construction of a new cricket field, a concrete cricket pitch with artificial turf, wooden spectator bleachers, player benches, an irrigation system, drainage, and a small utility shed.
The new cricket field within the park, which is located on Forest Glade Drive, was announced by the City of Windsor in July 2024.
Other areas of the park, including the trail, will remain open to the public during construction.
Gary Kaschak, ward 8 councillor, says the cricket community is very excited.
"We've got many new Canadians that play cricket, and a lot of Canadians - including myself - are catching onto the game. It's an interesting, exciting type game. It reminds me of baseball in a lot of ways, but with some different nuances and rules. So I think it's a good move forward here in our community."
He says the trail at the park will remain open.
"There's a lot of people walking through there, they like to walk along the trails and then cut through the Little River bush, and go through there. So there's still going to be some walkability, there's still going to be some usage, but it's also going to be a bit of a construction zone so they've got to be careful, but it's not going to be totally closed off."
Kaschak says it will be a beautiful field for the sport.
"This is going to be the first, really official, 100 per cent cricket pitch that's going to really be done right. So I want to make sure we get it right, and I want to make sure we open it at all the right, specific times, and do our add-on's moving forward."
This work is just phase one of work to be done. The full project will be completed in six phases and will include the construction of washrooms, dressing rooms, trails, picnic tables, a patio area and solar lighting.
Funding for later phases will be considered in future city budgets.
Upon completion, the project will invest over $7.5-million into Derwent Park.