A park in Brookswood that community volunteer Dale Ball and his wife Mary often visited with their family will be named in his honour.
Langley Passive Park will be renamed Dale Ball Passive Park by Township of Langley Council this month, to commemorate a dedicated community member and business leader who had a great impact on those around him.
“Dale was one of those people who was always active, always looking for ways to get involved,” said Mayor Jack Froese. “He truly cared about the place he lived and worked in, and could always be counted on to step up and make a difference.”
New signage for Dale Ball Passive Park, located at 36 Avenue and 208 Street, will be officially unveiled during a public ceremony at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12.
The park features naturally forested areas, a perimeter trail, seasonal water feature, a picnic shelter, and a disc golf course.
Froese had appointed Ball to serve on the Mayor’s Standing Committee on Public Engagement before he fell ill and lost a brief battle with cancer in March 2015.
Ball was the owner of Brookswood Homes and a leader in the provincial and Canadian manufactured housing associations.
He served as chair of the Brookswood Village Merchants Association and president of the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce in the 1990s.
He was named Langley’s H.D. Stafford Good Citizen of the Year in 2002, and the Chamber’s George Preston Memorial Business Person of the Year in 2006.
A member of the Rotary Club, Ball was active with the Langley Centennial Museum Advisory Group for 15 years and with the Township of Langley’s Recreation, Culture, and Parks Advisory Committee for six years.
He also volunteered with community groups ranging from fastball teams to the Scouts, and supported Langley Lodge. As well, he used to co-host the Township’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet with Mayor Kurt Alberts.
Council has a policy to consider naming Township parks, trails, and facilities after individuals who have made significant contributions to the community, and resolved to rename the passive park in Ball’s honour after it was suggested by the Brookswood Village Merchants.
