Slam-dunk addition at Seacliff Park

There’s no denying the Municipality of Leamington as they put on the full court press.

“It was an unused slope,” said Mayor Hilda MacDonald as she beamed at the new outdoor, fenced in basketball courts that have replaced the slope.

Koby Willie played on both courts Wednesday with a friend, “They’re definitely the best courts we have in town now.”

The $357,000 courts were officially opened Wednesday morning and are a legacy project partly funded by the WindsorEssex Community Foundation.

They have invested into the waterfront of every municipality in Essex-County through their 40th Anniversary Community Investment.

“This investment of all the municipalities was around $250,000, and so we have one more left. We’ll be in Kingsville in two weeks,” said Executive Director Lisa Kolody.

The courts are a big score for the waterfront redevelopment.

“It’s pretty cool,” Willie said. “We don’t really have many good courts like this, especially fenced in Leamington, but there’ll definitely be a lot of pick-up games and whatnot going on down here so it’ll be good for the community.”

They’re also part of the bigger picture, along with the volleyball courts, boardwalk, stage, and new performers’ change room.

Out of town visitors like Jane Jolivel are impressed.

“Great place for families and people to meet. And it looks like it’s going to be a wonderful attraction,” Jolivet said.

Caitlyn Donais drove in from Tilbury to bring kids to the beach.

“Because this is one of the beautiful beaches around,” she explained. “We have Mitchell’s Bay and everywhere else too, but we prefer to come here because it’s nice for the kids. It’s shallow.”

Paige Woods doesn’t live in Leamington anymore. but she was in town visiting her mom and said although it’s not the beachfront she grew up with, she feels people will be drawn in for a day at the beach.

“I think developing the tourism area and responding to the environmental changes that are happening, I think it’ll be good in the long run,” said Woods.

MacDonald said she’s happy the redevelopment is attracting people but also wants locals to enjoy it as well, seeing it as an extension of their own backyards, “It’s actually pretty much a 15-year plan to change things around. Hopefully we get there sooner than that. But yeah, still lots and lots of stuff happening.”

MacDonald is hopeful to see a couple of restaurants in operation along the waterfront next year as redevelopment continues.