More work is on the way at Hollinger Park after too much top soil was used, leading the ground to be a 'muddy soupy mess' during a festival last year.
To restore the field, the top soil is being removed, drainage is being added and an aggregate material will be used to top the area. Timmins council approved the changes at its meeting on Tuesday (April 19). There is $150,000 in this year's budget for the work.
Clerk Steph Palmateer has dubbed the section of the park between the ball diamond and Brunette Road as a festivals and events area. Leaving a granular base, he said, gives the city flexibility for other types of events to be held there, such as Beauce Carnaval.
After Stars and Thunder in 2018, the city has confirmed that 10 to 16 inches of top soil was added on top of the granular material put in place for the eight-day music festival.
In October 2021, Rock on the River Reconnect was held on the field.
The first large event held on the field since the work was completed was muddy. The weather leading up to it was rainy and it rained heavily the first night of the festival. The ground was quickly saturated with water, with large sections of mud and puddles. For the second night, over 100 bales of straw were spread on the field to help people walk through the mud.
As the city works to further remediate the space, some council members are supportive of gradually transforming it to allow for events.
Coun. John Curley said it's an excellent location and would like to see a permanent stage, washrooms and other infrastructure.
The other option on the table for council was to use a granular base for events this year, then add a top soil layer with proper drainage after the 2022 bookings.
Having the green space with proper drainage was the preferred option for Coun. Joe Campbell, who noted the grass makes it more multi-purpose.
“The other thing is, our East Indian population is growing rapidly and one of the sports they play is cricket. Sooner or later we’re going to be faced with that prospect of maybe providing that facility down the road,” said Campbell.
When the top soil is removed, Mayor George Pirie said it's being saved.
“It would be used to repair different parts of the City of Timmins that are damaged usually every winter for snowplowing, so that black much will get used,” he said.
Additional amenities at the park that councillors would like to see were part of the discussion, but have not been approved.
The staff report does not include the cost to repair the field following the concert.
After the festival, the city said it was waiting until the site was torn down before assessing the state of the field. There have been no updates until this week's report. In November, Coun. Cory Robin asked for a report on the field, specifically the section where Rock on the River was held.
