If you live anywhere near Mercier south-west of Montreal, or even if you don’t, you should go check out Rollande Caron-Pinsonneault Park.
Inaugurated on November 28, 2020, the park is a bright and colourful addition to the neighbourhood and a fun destination for a half-day of exploring and playing. Located in a newer housing development, the park offers plenty of active play opportunities for children, places to picnic, and exercise equipment for teens and adults.
If you have kids of varying ages you’ll be relieved to see that all of the play modules are in the same central space so you don’t have to trot from one side of the park to the other to keep an eye on everyone. Kids aged 18 months to 5 can access a double slide by crawling up the Sensory Wave with its built-in activity panels that invite touching and turning. There are also wide stairs and ground-level play things both on this structure and throughout the rest of the play space.
Older kids can test out their balance and climbing skills with plenty of rungs and ladders to cross and high slides to zip down. This whole play area is on poured-in-place rubber surfacing making it accessible for those with mobility devices.
The park also features a section of swings (on wood chips) with baby swings, adult swings, and two tandem swings for face-to-face interaction and multigenerational play. Though all of the swings are great, one that’s accessible with a harness would have been a great addition to the space.
Once hot from all that playing, a refreshing dance through the splash pad will cool everyone down. With in-ground sprays, tipping buckets, spinning tops, and water cannons, this installation will keep young and old entertained and engaged.
Park includes one of our favourite features
The star for us at this park — and most parks — is the zipline. The boys raced each other with one on the seat and one running beside, tried sitting and standing, and then us parents took some turns. I especially like that this model has stairs to get up to the platform as we usually find the ramps too steep or slippery and I always end up having to give them a shove.
Play for teens and adults
Don’t count this out as a park just for kids, because the city has also installed a basketball half-court and outdoor fitness equipment that has room for 10 people at the same time. Read through the instructional sign to find training options for beginner, intermediate, advanced users.
Tribute to former resident
The park was named in honour of a Mercier resident, Rollande Caron-Pinsonneault, who distinguished herself as a local farmer and flower producer. Widowed at the age of 40, Caron-Pinsonneault raised her 10 children on her own while cultivating her land. She passed away on November 9, 2017, at the age of 95.
Park amenities:
- The entire park is fully fenced and gated. The splash pad is also separately fenced with a latching gate.
- The splash pad water is on from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Touch the sensor on top of the post and turn the orange disk to start the water sequences. It will turn off automatically.
- A sanitation block was being cleaned when we were at the park around 8:30 a.m. and the bathroom was unlocked. Drinking fountains are available on the exterior of the building.
- For winter, a tiny hill will give toddlers an easy first ride down the snow.
- There is no shade. At all.
Rollande Caron-Pinsonneault Park
At the corner of St. Denis St. and Lorraine Rd., Mercier
The park is so new that it doesn’t yet appear on Google Maps or street view, but I assure you it’s there!
While you’re down this way, check out the lovely city of Mercier, which is surrounded by farms and cornfields, visit a produce stand on the main road and pick up some fresh corn and tomatoes, or head west to visit the beach in Valleyfield. Or, make no other plans and see where the road takes you…
All photos by Christine Latreille
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