Athol-South Marysburgh Public School Community Access

Project Overview

There is currently limited parkland in Athol Ward. Municipal spaces include the small park at Athol Town Hall and the Glendon Green Boat Launch. Athol is also home to Sandbanks Provincial Park, which is provincial green space accessed by paying an admission fee.

The Athol South Marysburgh Public School grounds are a hidden gem in this area, with plenty of land and recreational amenities that could be used by the public when school is not in session.

The school council at Athol-South Marysburgh (ASM) Public School has been fundraising to revitalize the school yard. The municipality has been welcomed as a partner in this project, using parkland funds to ensure that the school yard is welcoming and open to the greater community when school is not in session, and to help fund improvements to school yard amenities. The budget for this project is $14,000.

The students of Athol South Marysburgh Public School have weighed in and identified a number of projects that they would like to prioritize in this round of school yard improvements. The public will be asked to provide feedback on how municipal parkland funding can be used to fund one or more of these priorities and improve the space for students and the broader community.

Public Engagement

The municipality will be engaging with various stakeholders on ideas for the uses of the school's greenspace. Consultation on this project will include:

• The ASM school council
• The ASM school population, school and school board staff
• The Athol Recreation Committee
• General public

Get involved! There are three ways to share your thoughts on this project:

• Complete the short survey below to help the municipality and school prioritize among the school yard improvement projects that the students have identified.
• You are encouraged to contribute your thoughts about the ASMS Community Access Project in the "Leave Feedback" section below. How do you currently use the school green space? How would you like to use the green space in the future? The school welcomes "blue sky" ideas from the community as they fundraise and plan for the school yard revitalization.
• A Public Info Session was held on Monday June 17 from 4-6pm at Athol South Marysburgh School. Municipal staff and school officials were on hand to talk about the project.