The statue of Baseball Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins will remain in front of the Civic Centre.
Councillor Ryan Doyle withdrew his motion that would have explored relocating the statue from the Civic Centre to the ballpark at Fergie Jenkins Field.
Doyle told council he had recently spoken with Jenkins and his wife about the proposed move and learned details that had not previously been made public.
“They had been going through litigation for the last three years to try and get a lot of his memorabilia back and that court case, I believe, just finished and they won,” said Doyle.
“So part of the big plan is to move his memorabilia, or some of it, to some location downtown and that is all going to be together. It is Fergie’s wish that his statue stays with his memorabilia.”
In 2022, Jenkins launched a legal challenge involving his foundation after efforts to relocate its headquarters from St. Catharines to Chatham were met with resistance. Reports at the time indicated there was disagreement over the return of memorabilia held by the Fergie Jenkins Museum.
Doyle said the ongoing court proceedings had prevented those involved from discussing the matter publicly.
According to Mayor Darrin Canniff, it appears some of Jenkins’ memorabilia will eventually be brought to Chatham-Kent and set up alongside other notable CK legends, and the municipality intends to respect the baseball legend’s wishes. Referencing a conversation that happened when the statue was first being discussed.
“The ballpark is a great place to put it from a concept standpoint, but the traffic, six months a year if you’re not a baseball fan you’re not going to see it,” said Canniff. “He said, if it’s at the Civic Centre, not only do more people see it, but it makes a statement about who Fergie Jenkins is in our community. He’s not just a baseball player.”
