Finding the Middle ground: Council chooses name for new park in north Bowmanville

Council has selected “Middle Park” as the name for the new neighbourhood park under construction at 3301 Middle Road in Bowmanville.

The Name Your Park campaign received a strong engagement response, with nearly 2,000 community members participating. Middle Park, as suggested by a community member, was selected as the name to address Council’s concerns with wayfinding as many Bowmanville street names contain the word Orchard.

The community also put forth submissions requesting the park be named after various individual people, which is contrary to the Municipality’s Park Naming Policy. There were a notable 1,335 submissions for the park to be named after Spencer McCracken, a Bowmanville resident who recently died after being struck by an alleged impaired driver. In acknowledgement of the community’s support to honour the tragic passing of Spencer McCracken, Council directed staff work with his family to dedicate a bench either in Middle Park or in a location that is meaningful for the family.

Construction is underway at the new park, which will feature an accessible playground, splash pad, softball diamond, benches, seating, paved walkways and a shade structure. Construction should be complete by the end of the year, and a grand opening will be planned for the spring.

What's next?

Stay tuned for further details about when the park will open later this fall.