Amann Park in Austin --- Have Your Say!

What does the community of Austin want to see Amann Park to be? The Amann Family is eager to find out.

The Town of Austin was gifted a 22-acre parcel of land from the family in 2022. The park will be named in memory of Fred and Loreen Amann who were longtime residents of the community. Loreen passed away in 2017 while Fred passed away last year. Three children, Rick, Ron, and Catherine, are waiting to see what the people of Austin want the park to be.

A survey was issued to members of the community, with physical copies available at the MacGregor Municipal Office and Phil's Store in Austin. An online survey can be found here.

Ron says the family may not live in Austin anymore, as Ron splits his time in Winnipeg and Arizona, Rick lives in Dubai, while Catherine calls Portage home. All three want to see the area thrive.

"It's our family's desire to give back to the community. We've enjoyed the benefit to what the community has offered our families throughout our life, and so, we wanted to give back," says Ron. "We've utilized the facilities where there's hockey, baseball, curling, you name it, in the community. This is just one way we could give something to the community where they could enjoy."

The proposed park will be supported through a special endowment fund. This endowment fund is being established to collect donations to support Municipal and third-party funding for the planning, implementation, construction, and future maintenance of the community park. Once the balance of funds donated by the community reaches $2,000, the Amann Family plans to match that with a $2,000 donation.

With the support of the North Norfolk Municipality, the family has retained the professional services of Lombard North Group to develop a Strategic Plan. Step one involves community engagement, asking people how they'd utilize the park, how they'd like it look, and more. Ron has a few ideas he'd like to see, but notes it's all about what the people in the municipality want to see.

"The hiking piece is one element. It would be nice to utilize the water that's there in a passive way, a picnic area," says Ron. "It's really what the community wants, so, from my personal perspective, as long as the community comes up with what they want, we're happy."