Don’t think of a proposed brick wall at Tulista Park in Sidney as any kind of barrier to family fun.
Think of it as a way that new playground equipment can be purchased, helping refurbish the park for the entire community.
The Sidney Lions Club is hoping to raise $70,000 to pay for new playground equipment in Tulista Park. The new gear, says Brian Dunic, secretary of the Lions Club, will replace the existing wooden structure with more modern equipment. The plan, he continued, is to build a memorial wall near the playground made of bricks. The Lions hope people will buy a brick (they come in various sizes) in remembrance of a loved one, or with their own name — or with just about any message one can think of — to help build the wall and raise enough money to replace the playground equipment.
The Lions, celebrating their 50th year as a chartered club in 2014, were approached by the Town of Sidney more than two years ago, Dunic said, and asked if they’d be interested in the project. For their 40th anniversary, the Lions replaced another portion of Tulista Park’s playground equipment and it’s still there.
Their goal, said Lion Bob Orchard, is to raise the money and have the work completed by Sidney Days in July.
Their plan coincides with the Town’s own plans to fix up the park and playground this year. The new equipment would be accessible and placed on soft and impact-absorbing material on the ground — much like the surface at the outdoor exercise circuit near the Sidney North Saanich Library.
“It will be an anniversary gift for the community,” added Lion Alyson DesLauriers.
She said the project will fix up Tulista Park and help keep it a local — and visitor — favourite on the Sidney waterfront.
The brick wall itself, Dunic noted, will be about the height of the existing memorial wall near Sidney’s Bevan Avenue Pier, and just a little longer. The campaign to sell the bricks to build the wall has already started. To get yours, contact Lions Don McIvor at 250-652-6207 or Brian Dunic at 250-655-1077.