Part 1: Pickleball, Wellington Town Hall and Drake Heritage Permit Lead a Busy August Council Meeting — 08/25/2026

Prince Edward County Council met on August 25, 2026, for a regular council meeting that brought several major community issues to Shire Hall, including the future of pickleball courts at Delhi Park, the proposed community stewardship of Wellington Town Hall, and a heritage permit for the Drake Devonshire expansion in Wellington. Mayor Steve Ferguson chaired the meeting, which began with a closed session concerning personnel and labour matters before returning to open session. Council approved a collective agreement between the County and Unifor Local 8300, covering April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2028.

© PEC Council (YouTube)

View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes>

Delhi Park Pickleball Debate Draws a Crowd

Much of the evening centred on the plan for six dedicated pickleball courts at Delhi Park in Picton. Several residents and community representatives spoke both against and in support of the project, showing that the disagreement is not simply about pickleball itself, but also about how Delhi Park should be used in the future.

Terry Trickett of the Picton Community Gardens asked council to reconsider the location, arguing that the gardens and other existing park uses depend on the area's quiet character. Susan Banks, who helped coordinate tree planting in the park in 2021, also asked council to reconsider and presented close to 900 signatures supporting a review of the decision. Later, Liz Driver of the Prince Edward County Heritage Conservancy called for the project to be paused while Delhi Park is considered more broadly as a cultural heritage landscape. Victoria Taylor, a Picton landscape architect and founding member of Friends of Delhi Park, similarly argued for more study and community discussion before permanent changes are made.

Supporters presented a different view. Stephanie Roth, chair of Prince Edward Pickleball, told council the group has spent more than four years working toward the project and has raised more than $166,000. She said the organization is willing to consider measures including reasonable playing hours, noise mitigation, possible limits on lighting, and suspending play during funeral services or interments at nearby Mount Olivet Cemetery. Other speakers argued that pickleball can coexist with residential areas, green space and other park activities.

Council ultimately supported further stakeholder engagement around the existing project, including discussion of the current and future plans and the site selection process. Staff explained that the County has already applied for a $300,000 Build Community Strong grant, based on a 50-50 matching arrangement, and that existing funding applications are tied to the Delhi Park project. Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Severson said that, if funding is secured and council continues to support the project, the courts could potentially be built in 2027.

Wellington Town Hall Moves Closer to Community Stewardship

Council also received an update from the Wellington Town Hall Stewardship Association, represented by Sarah Bobus and Christine Zeidler. The group reported that it had completed the requirements set out in its memorandum of understanding with the County, including establishing a registered not-for-profit organization, obtaining insurance, completing a phased development plan and carrying out community consultations.

Council agreed that the association had satisfied the MOU requirements and directed staff to begin the preparatory work, public notice and agreement development needed for a future transfer of the property. The final transfer will still return to council for approval, with staff indicating that this is expected in the new term of council in early 2027. Ferguson described the project as a possible model for repurposing other municipal buildings through community stewardship.

Drake Devonshire Heritage Permit Approved

© The Drake Hotel

Another lengthy discussion involved the Drake Devonshire at 20 and 24 Wharf Street in Wellington. Development Services staff recommended approval of the heritage permit after further review, explaining that the proposal retains the historic W.P. Niles House, maintains views toward Lake Ontario, avoids Lane Creek and uses setbacks and contemporary materials to distinguish the new construction from the historic building.

The discussion also highlighted questions about how heritage applications are handled within the relatively new Wellington Heritage Conservation District. Council approved the permit and then reconsidered the motion to add flexibility allowing additional windows on the north facade, subject to the discretion of the Director of Development Services.

Other Council Business

Council approved an updated licence and use agreement with Wellington Hockey Development Limited, the new ownership group behind the Wellington Dukes Junior A Hockey Club. Changes included protecting Sunday afternoons for minor hockey and adjusting rink-board advertising arrangements.

Council also approved the County's 2025 consolidated and trust fund financial statements. Staff reported a clean audit with no major or significant problems identified, while also noting that major capital projects are creating cash-flow pressures that require active management. Staff said approximately $40 million in capital remains unfinanced, with part expected to move into roughly $31 million in debt and further financing work expected in 2027.

Key Takeaways

1. The Delhi Park pickleball discussion is continuing. Council supported more stakeholder engagement while the existing six-court project and its funding implications remain important parts of the discussion.

   
   

2. Wellington Town Hall is one step closer to community stewardship. The stewardship association has met the requirements of its MOU, allowing the County to begin preparing for a possible future property transfer.

   
   

3. Major heritage and financial decisions are moving forward. Council approved the Drake Devonshire heritage permit and the County's 2025 financial statements, while discussions highlighted both the evolving Wellington heritage process and upcoming work on financing municipal capital projects.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 4:23:25. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.