It is one of the few of its kind left in North America, and a piece of the city's history which some feel would be a tragedy to lose: The nearly 80-year-old wooden grandstand at Fred Salvador Field in Hollinger Park.
City of Timmins staff, as well as council, are aware of the need for a decision sooner rather than later. It was the only item Mayor Steve Black put on the councillor wish list during early 2017 budget discussions.
In October 2015, the City of Timmins hosted a public consultation session where citizens could give city officials their input and suggestions for improvements at Hollinger Park in a face-to-face manner.
On October 12, 2016, Councillor Noella Rinaldo said that it was 'quite clear' from that session that the public wants to see the grandstands saved and refurbished.
"This is a heritage site, an important unique site," she said.
"The public was very vocal about keeping the grandstands. There's definitely a 'want' to get those grandstands refurbished. Every year we wait, they become more and more decrepit. I'm hoping that we can seriously look and put some money aside and start doing the work on it," said Rinaldo.
The councillors in attendance voted unanimously in favour of including it in the first draft of the budget that night.
The grandstand has the capacity for 1,000 people to watch a baseball game, although it has been many decades since that was the case. A reasonable stance by those opposed to refurbishment is that the grandstand simply doesn't see enough action to merit the investment.
"I understand some people are saying 'they're problematic' and those kinds of things. But I also think that they are an important heritage asset for the community. We don't have a lot of that left," said Karen Bachmann, local historian and Director of the Timmins Museum National Exhibition Centre.
It is also a valid point that in a city that currently has zero officially designated historical buildings, a link to the past could be worth the money.
"These were put up in 1938 and 1939 by the Hollinger Mine. It was a really proud centrepiece for the mine, but also for the community," she said, and added "they remain an asset. They need to be repaired, obviously. But why not keep them?"
The alternative is to tear down the old, and put up something new. A low maintenance set of steel bleachers has been mentioned by city officials over the past few years.
Costs for the renovating the old facility are uncertain as of now, however $500,000 was an item included, yet not really included, in the Community and Development Services budget draft presented by Mark Jensen on January 11. It is in the column of items that aren't currently in the budget, but it is acknowledged as a legitimate request.
"I'm going to be honest with you, after talking with my maintenance crew, because we're uncertain of what's going on underneath it until a proper engineering review is done, we're not sure if we'll be able to get those grandstands possibly in shape in time for that concert (Stars and Thunder Festival) so we should be looking at some other options. Realizing, that was proposed to be fixed up two years ago" said Jensen, remarking on the assumption by some that the grandstands would be a part of this summer's $3.5-million, eight-day festival.
Jensen also suggested that the city defer park upgrades and repairs, including the grandstand until 2018, until a full re-design of Hollinger Park takes place. Some members of city council feel that it can't wait that long.
"A number of us think its an iconic feature," said Councillor Pat Bamford on Jan. 11. He added that he's not especially on board with the re-design of the park as there are a number of limitations for the site, with infrastructure such as the children's water park and pavilion already entrenched.
By far the biggest user of Fred Salvador Field is the Timmins Men's Baseball League. President Jamie Dallaire said he has been in touch with officials from the Parks and Recreation Department, as well as Mayor Black.
"Many things are up in the air," he said, adding that there is major uncertainty over the 2017 season due to the 'Stars and Thunder' event, as well as the city's intent to rip up the sod, and replace soil in various areas of the park.
Fred Salvador Field is the only venue the league uses, as there are no other half-decent baseball fields in the city.
The grandstand needs a lot of work, but still sees lots of action during TMBL playoff games. Andrew Autio for TimminsToday "Preliminary talks have taken place to use the old Theriault baseball field, however nothing has been approved. If it was approved, a tonne of work will be needed for it to be deemed as safe and playable. We are concerned that it won't be available in time for our usual opening week (June 1), however it is out of our control, so we are just hoping for the best," said Dallaire, and added that the city hasn't mentioned anything about their plans for the grandstand.
Dallaire said that although the TMBL is currently only comprised of five teams, and approximately 80 players, it is an important part of the community and said there are upwards of 200 people in attendance for the league's playoff games.
"I'm afraid that this lack of baseball field situation will deter from the momentum we have worked so hard to create. It's unfortunate but we just need to hope for the best, and think that the end result could mean an upgrade to the historic field, aesthetically and safety wise as well," he said.
Bachmann agreed with the sentiment.
"There are very, very few of these left in North America, and I mean less than ten. In all of North America. When you look at that, this is an important piece of our history, and I think it has potential," she said.
Ultimately, the fate of the grandstand rests solely in the hands of city council, as they will have to make a decision as to when to finally put some funding towards it, or be the council who decides to tear down the past. Budget deliberations for 2017 are still ongoing.
"Its so historic, and its what makes the field so great. No other park in Northern Ontario has that," said Dallaire.
