Many residents, particularly baseball players and fans can
remember the nickname "The Swamp" for Nunns Creek Park with a
great deal of frustration whenever it rained. It meant wet and soggy fields,
sometimes for days after the rain and officials and players watching precious
playing time slipping away. Then came the mad scramble for alternate times or
places to make up those lost games before the season ended.
In 1990 the Minor and Senior Baseball associations and the
Festival began to meet as Salmon Festival needed a new home for the Salmon
Festival and Nunns Creek Park looked promising. With approval of the Baseball
groups to relocate the Festival there, we began to explore ways to improve the
conditions of the park to accommodate the needs of the respective groups. During
these discussions the Campbell River Dog Fanciers and the Skateboarders joined
the team and the Nunns Creek Park Development Committee was established.
This committee then approached the City with a unique proposal to
jointly develop the Park and the Municipality responded favorably. After several
more meetings the Development Committee and City reached an agreement on
the proposal and that Campbell River Festival take on the lead roll in the
development project based on the following.
The Festival was an established Federal
Charity with a clear mandate toward recreation.
The festival had previously completed a
number of local improvement projects in the community.
The Festival had established a good working
relationship with City Council and staff members.
The Festival already occupied Nunns Creek
Park for its Loggers Sports in August.
In 1993 the Campbell River Festival entered into a
"License of Occupation" agreement with the City of Campbell
River to be on Nunns Creek Park to work with the City and other interested
parties to enhance the facility. What followed has exceeded the initial
expectations of the group and has evolved to be a true community driven
development project with the value of improvements exceeding the million dollars
($1,000,000.00) mark.
As a partner in the development of the Park, the
City
was asked to provide 25% of the costs to transform "The Swamp" into a
Premier Community Park and to date the City has invested $257,954.00 (23.5%) in
cash, goods and services. The Park Development Group invested $219,389.00,
Community Businesses $261,256.00, other Community Groups $171,720.00 and Grants
from sources other than the City provided $188,660.00 in cash, goods
& services. Because of this unique partnership arrangement over $800,000.00
did not have to come from city taxpayer dollars and the community now enjoys a
much-improved Park. Most importantly, it demonstrates what can be accomplished
when the City, Community groups, local businesses and volunteers work
together.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE
Major baseball field rebuild
Adequate electrical system
Temporary office & storage
Minor Bambino field rebuild
Skateboard Park
Clean up of wooded area
Farm League field repairs
Horseshoe Pitch
Loggers Sports Grounds
New Minor Bambino field
Front parking lot improvements
Municipal sanitary sewer
New T-Ball field
Improved park drainage
Park landscaping
Major baseball field lights
Improved irrigation
Bleachers
Additional green space
Nature Trails and bridges
Additional fencing
NUNNS CREEK PARK DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
The first order of business in transforming the
"SWAMP" was trucking in many thousands of yards of fill and installing
adequate drainage to eliminate the water problems associated with the baseball
fields and other areas of the Park.
1992
Permanent
Loggers Sports grounds were established on the east side of Nunns Creek
Park Two
100 foot climbing trees were raised and a 30ft X 30ft birling pond was
dug into the ground.
1993
Salmon Festival signs
25 year License of Occupation agreement with City.
Work begins on the rebuild of the Major Baseball Field with the trucking
in of fill.New field was
turned 90 degrees from existing to provide space for a new Bambino field
and was built to major league standards.
The Park
electrical system is rebuilt increasing it from 60 amps to 400 amps.
With the
help of Ironwood Mall, Social Services program workers and Festival
volunteers a trail, complete with bridge, from Ironwood Mall to Nunns
Creek Park was opened.
Horseshoe
pitches were added to park.
1993
Development Contributions:
Development
Group - $37,000
Businesses
------------ $69,000
City ----------------------- $43,500
Grants
------------------- $69,000
1994
Major
Baseball Field work was completed and officially opened at the 1st
game of the 1994 baseball season.
New
Bambino Field was constructed.
A Festival
office was established at Nunns Creek Park to allow onsite administration
of Salmon Festival and Park development.
Work
begins on the construction of a Skateboard Park by trucking in fill to
raise the area approximately 3 feet.
Work began
on the lights for the Major Baseball Field.
1994
Development Contributions:
Development
Group - $45,000
Service
Clubs ----------$6,000
Businesses
------------ $70,000
City ------------------------
$71,500
Grants
------------------- $59,000
1995
Skateboard
Park officially opened.
8,000 yards of
fill is trucked in to raise the parking lot and Minor Bambino Baseball
Field. Un-seasonal rains delay work on the Minor Bambino Field for the rest
of the year.
Work begins on
the T-Ball and Farm League Baseball Fields with the trucking in of more
fill.
Work
continues on the lights for the Major Field.
Park
aesthetics are improved by establishing flowerbeds and planting shrubs.
Plans
are drawn up for new washroom facilities and presented to the City.
1995
Development Contributions:
Development
Group - $45,000 Businesses ------------ $66,000
City ------------------------
$30,000 Grants ------------------- $18,500
1996
Lights
for the Major Ball Field completed in time
for the Minor Baseball’s Northwest
Regional Tournament with teams from British Columbia, Alberta, Washington,
Oregon, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.Southern Oregon went on to the Senior Babe Ruth World Series.
Work
on the Parking Lot and Minor Bambino Field is delayed by rain until early
summer.
Main
Park electrical system is upgraded to 600 amp to meet power demands during
the Dog Show and Salmon Festival.
United
Fishermen begin first stage of nature trail system.Completed system will be 2 miles of nature trails with 8 bridges.3000 evergreens are also planted in the forested area of the Park.
C.R.
Railroad Society approaches Salmon Festival with proposal to construct a
miniature railway in the Park.Although approval is obtained the cost of insurance, as people
could ride it, was prohibitive.
1996
Development Contributions:
Development
Group - $12,500Businesses - $43,000
United
Fishermen ---- $75,000City------------ $65,000
Grants
- $25,000
1997
Work
is finally completed on the Minor Bambino Field, but not in time for the
ball season.More time is
required for the grass to be properly established and fencing to be
installed.
Farm
League field was completed and ready for the 1997 season.
United Fishermen complete work on
the Nature Trails and open them to the public.
More
improvements are made to the Loggers Sports Grounds for the show in
August.
1997
Development Contributions:
Development
Group - $22,000
Businesses
------------ $5,500
City ------------------------
$25,500
United
Fishermen ---- $75,000
1998
New
T-Ball Field was ready for the 1998 baseball season.
More
improvements were made to the Loggers Sports Grounds.
Minor Baseball constructs new
storage/bleacher facility and the Shrine Club donates bleachers for the
Park.
More improvements were made to
drainage system by the Municipality and Park users groups.
1998
Development Contributions:
Development
Group - $10,000
Businesses
------------ $5,600
City -----------------------
$19,500
Grants--------------------
$17,000
1999
United
Fishermen make improvements to trail system, plant more trees and do
stream work with Greenways to improve the spawning potential of the creek.
Salmon
Festival removes old storage trailer from the Park to improve aesthetics.
1999
Development Contributions:
Development
Group - $3,000 City
------------ $3,400
United
Fishermen ---- $ 4,600
2000
Minor
Baseball makes improvements to concession stand and storage facilities.
Old
log barricades are removed and replaced with concrete curb units.
New washroom facilities still on
hold due to tough economic conditions.Park user groups plan to meet with the Municipality to discuss this
project and the extent of the City’s involvement since we have
commitments from local businesses to assist with material and labour.
Work
begins on the construction of a Skateboard Park by trucking in fill to
raise the area approximately 3 feet.
Work
continues on the lights for the Major Field.
Lights
for the Major Ball Field completed in time
Regional Tournament with teams from British Columbia, Alberta, Washington,
Oregon, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
