Could an old Sudbury-area golf course become a new swim spot?
A citizens' group in Sudbury is hoping the city will purchase an old golf course and use it to replace a popular swimming hole. Meatbird Lake Park in Lively was sold To Vale earlier this year, leaving the community without any swimming spots close to home. The nearest beach is Centennial Park near Whitefish, roughly 14 kilometres away along a busy roadway. Many community members, including Ward 2 councillor Michael Vagnini, say the former Sixth Avenue Golf Course property may offer an ideal solution to replace Meatbird Lake Park. "It's one of those gems, and I'm going to call it an oasis," the councillor says. "There's so much potential." The demise and replacement of Meatbird Lake Park in Lively has been a focus since early 2020, when reports emerged that Vale was looking to purchase the park back from the city. Meatbird Lake Park dates to the 1970s, when Vale expanded its nearby mine tailings area. The swimming hole is a man-made water body fed by a fountain that pumps treated water. The mining company has said it wanted the land back to conduct environmental remediation. Vale bought the property, including the lake, for about $4 million in April 2021; the City of Greater Sudbury has committed those funds toward recreational projects in Lively. Meatbird Lake Park has been a popular spot for people in Lively and across Sudbury for generations, Vagnini says. Now residents in Lively are eyeing the former Sixth Avenue Golf Course as a possible replacement, as it's up for sale. The property of about 80 acres has extensive cart paths that can serve as walking trails. It has several small water bodies  including one that is spring-fed and larger than the Meatbird Lake swimming hole. That pond would require some work to turn it into an attractive swim spot, such as bringing in sand for a beach. There is also a three-story clubhouse that could have many uses, as well as enough land to put in a facility such as a skate park. The golf course owner is asking for about $2 million, which would theoretically leave half of the budget for improvements to this or other recreation facilities in the Lively area. Lively's Mary Crowder has worked to gauge her community's interest in that property. "I put it on the Facebook Ward 2 page and I had a thousand people say, 'yes, perfect,'" she says. Vagnini agrees that the community seems to want this outcome. Limited timeframe to secure a deal  On such a high-profile project, however, the City of Greater Sudbury has opted for a broader consultation process. It's using this opportunity to test out a new public consultation framework its staff have developed. This is conflicting for Crowder, Vagnini and their supporters. They all agree that consultation is important, but they say they have already done consultation work. The estimated completion time for the city's process is this fall, which may jeopardize its chances of buying the property. The former golf course's owner, Rod Jouppi, says a community park would be "the best use of this property," but he is also concerned that the city's timelines may jeopardize other sale opportunities, including a Toronto developer who wants to build 140 homes. "We have three offers on the property other than the city," he says. In light of the time constraints, the city has moved to approve the new consultation process, while also directing city staff to begin discussions with Jouppi about the potential sale of the golf course. Sudbury's new consultation framework involves extensive discussions with people impacted by recreation availability in Lively, as well as appointing an advisory group to oversee the process.