Cowan Park in Ayr destroyed by EF2 tornado set to fully reopen by May
An Ayr, Ont. park that was devastated by a tornado last year is finally ready to open again, according to a city council report from Monday.
At a Township of North Dumfries city council meeting Monday evening, councillors approved a report on Cowan Park's reopening, which is set to resume normal operations in May.
On Aug. 17, 2024 a tornado touched down in the Township of North Dumfries, tearing through the village of Ayr and Cowan Park. The township released video footage to showcase the extent of its impact.
Media Video | CBC News Kitchener-Waterloo : Security camera footage shows an EF2 tornado tearing through Cowan Park in Ayr, Ont.
Caption: The Township of North Dumfries released new video showing a tornado ripping through Cowan Park in Ayr, Ont., on Aug. 17. "We are sharing this to show you the force of the tornado and the extensive damage the park sustained," a Facebook post by the township said.
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The tornado was later classified by the Western University Northern Tornadoes Project in London, Ont. as an EF2 level tornado.
According to the report, the township's insurance covered costs to remove debris from Cowan Park but did not extend to the cost of replacing trees and other parts of the landscape. The report notes that 18 new trees have been planted so far — two under the township's annual tree-planting program and the rest with the help of donations.
The total projected cost of all repairs to the park is $331,438. Insurance did cover items like soccer nets, fencing, park furniture, lighting and other amenities the park lost in the storm.
Turf repairs on the park's soccer fields (ComDev and Founders Field) were done with soil and overseeding. The outdoor beach volleyball court had its contaminated sand removed and replaced. All of the chain-link fencing along the park has been replaced. Park furniture and playground equipment have been ordered.
The sand replacement was one of the more expensive repairs covered by insurance at a cost of over $40,000. Soccer net and mesh replacement came in at just under $80,000 and soccer field light repairs were just over $60,000.
While most of the park is currently open for use, the playground is set to open by the third week of April. Other repairs are either already done or will be underway this spring.
The soccer pitches are expected to be usable for the Ayr Minor Soccer Club 2025 season by May 4, in line with the normal season start. The splash pad is estimated to be open for use on the May long weekend.
A 'meticulous' clean up
CBC News initially reported the tornado as an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale but it was later upgraded to an EF2 tornado according to the city council report and the Western University Northern Tornadoes Project annual report.
Shaun Delorey is the chief operating officer of Woodhouse Group, the company responsible for the initial clean up response after the tornado hit. The company, based in Kitchener, Ont., specializes in restoration and reconstruction services. Delorey said they had a team of almost 30 people cleaning up debris.
WATCH | Tornado touches down in Ayr, Ont., causing damage to businesses:
Media Video | CBC News Kitchener-Waterloo : Apparent tornado touches down in Ayr, Ont., causing damage to business
Caption: This video submitted by Jenna Hammond shows what the North Dumfries fire chief is calling a tornado touching down in Ayr, Ont. It reportedly caused heavy damage to a Home Hardware, according to Robert Shantz. This comes as a large area around the Waterloo region was under a tornado warning Saturday morning. There are no reports of injuries. Several surrounding businesses were evacuated.
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He described the damage done to the pavilions, park areas, soccer fields and surrounding areas and said that everyone involved had the safety of the community on their mind.
"It was certainly a meticulous process when we got there," he said. "Basically our crews went in and got every square inch of the grass in the fields picked through. They had to scour every square inch of these fields to make sure any broken glass, any nails were removed."
He said it was almost nine days of picking through everything hazardous and securing the area so that kids and other residents wouldn't be at risk. He said Woodhouse, the township and everyone else involved had safety concerns for the community at the forefront of their minds.
"Everybody really worked well together just to ensure the safety of everybody," he said.
Delorey said he wasn't surprised that the park was only just reopening now given the timing of the storm, oncoming winter months and loss of sunlight. He also noted that there were specific engineering and electrical considerations that naturally take time.
"I think the township and everybody that's worked on this project has done a really good job to take a not-so-great situation and work with the timelines they had, because I think there are businesses in the area who still haven't recovered."
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