Municipal Park

La Durantaye, a municipality with approximately 725 habitants, is noted for the energy and drive of its inhabitants. For many years, several large scale projects have been implemented as a result of the commitment of numerous volunteers and the motivation of the people of the Ladurantois community who share a very strong sense of belonging to their community. A good number of committees are constantly at work, preparing activities and projects to stimulate the sports, cultural and social life of La Durantaye. One of the important projects currently underway is the restoration of a school-municipal park located in the school yard of the Plein Soleil primary school. This project is headed by volunteers: parents of students, school staff, and people from the community. In concrete terms, the project involves purchasing new play equipment for pre-school and school aged children and developing sites for team sports (basketball and volleyball), and a rest area. Obviously, a project of this scope requires major investments and the community is totally committed to raising the funds needed to bring this wonderful project to fruition. Restoring our park fits in with the values transmitted within the community of La Durantaye since it promotes the well-being of children and encourages physical activity. We can see these values are being implemented, particularly by the staff and volunteers at the school. In fact, various extracurricular activities are offered to students to help them share the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle: noon cooking, noon sports, noon jogging, dancing, basketball. Football and cheerleading are also offered, in partnership with another school in the region. Moreover, the students can enjoy the benefits of infrastructures developed by another local committee: the Leisure Activity Committee. In effect, in the winter, they have access to an outdoor skating rink at noon and during their physical education courses. This facility can also be used free of charge by the entire population. In the summer, several people turn out for the family baseball tournament which takes place in August each year. This activity brings children and adults together for a weekend of sports. The restoration of the park will produce numerous benefits for the community. In fact, we must speak of the beneficial effects the new play equipment will have for the students attending the school. These high-quality, safe units and psychomotor blocks will stimulate the overall development of the children since they are designed for that purpose. They will, in fact, encourage physical activity since the children will be able to climb, hang, walk, lift, pirouette and slide. Moreover, the team sports playing fields will give the students an introduction to these sports; moreover, the fields will also be accessible to the young and not-so-young of La Durantaye. Several groups represent the community and are making the people of La Durantaye proud of their sports performances. In fact, many young people play hockey, primarily as part of the “Sénateurs de Bellechasse”. Several tournaments have been won by teams including young people from La Durantaye. Their exploits are proudly shared by the public through the local newspapers and by means of the municipality’s internet site. In short, the school-municipal park restoration project requires the involvement of numerous volunteers who count neither their time nor their money when it comes to bringing this project, which will require major investments, into being. A new park will promote physical activity and a healthy lifestyle for our young people as well as for older people, which is a major asset when it comes to promoting the overall health of the population.