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At the June public meeting of council I went on at length — a bit of an incoherent rant really — about Victoria Park. It is a subject that I regret not having pursued more agressively throughout my term, so when Parks & Rec announced yet another large amount of money to be spent on upgrades to the park I had to say something. I was very pleased to receive the support of the mayor, and then again to see the supportive editorial in the Guardian.

Victoria Park is a huge asset to our city, but it has a lot of unrealized potential. Great city’s have great parks and I can easily imagine Victoria Park in the same league as some of the more famous municipal parks. It’s just not quite there yet.

The park is almost 40 acres, but we all know there is a lot of pressure on the park with more and more amenities being added over the decades, one at a time, without much regard for the overall concept. The city wouldn’t approve a subdivision of that size without a detailed plan to guide the use of the land.

What’s needed is a vision; a comprehensive master plan developed with public consultation, to guide the long-term development and management of the park. The plan should include recommendations for phased, short-term design changes that will help accommodate all the diverse — and sometimes incompatible — uses of the park to ultimately make it more enjoyable for everyone.

I’ve watched over the years as other municipalities have undergone similar exercises for their greenspace and parks. I often use the Point Pleasant Park Comprehensive Plan as an example, but there are many others, several in the Atlantic region alone.

The Mi’kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island hired a consultant, o2 Design + Planning, to create a vision for the Experimental Farm. The plan was design-oriented and really quite impressive. The City would certainly need to consult professional landscape architects too,  but public consultation is paramount. I have many ideas myself. I would ask some of the following:

1. Is it really necessary to allow cars to drive into the center of the park? I say no. The old driveway, which extends from the cannons to the tennis courts should be narrowed and reserved for pedestrian and cyclists only. A small stretch of the driveway was converted to a nice pathway, but users are forced into traffic at one end, and a parking lot at the other. Parking for the tennis courts could be accommodated near the dairy bar. The parking off Brighton Road should also be moved. Separate cars and people.
2. Do we need to close a lane of the park roadway for cyclists? It’s wonderful, but there is room for a dedicated year-round bike lane. My detailed plan upon request.
3. Must there be a half kilometer of chain link fence along the west perimeter of the park? I say no. Gary Schneider’s excellent forest management plan (which is being ably implemented in many ways) suggested a hedge instead, if a barrier is necessary at all.
4. Was the restoration of Fort Edward Battery a good thing? I think not. The old battery design — run down as it had become — was one of the most popular destinations in the park; a vantage point where you could stroll atop the berm and enjoy the incredible view. Now it is fenced off, unwelcoming, and simply obstructs the view. Make this a focal point again.

I could go on… and on. But finally, I will just say this; I think the park deserves a significant monument to the park’s namesake, Queen Victoria, such as a statue with surrounding public space.  In 2014 we’ll be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference in the Birthplace of Confederation so, notwithstanding all the attention the Founding Fathers will get, it would be a perfect opportunity to honour the Queen who is known as the Mother of Confederation.

The City of Charlottetown Youth Advisory Board is inviting all teens (ages 12-18) to an open swim!

Where: CARI Complex
When: Friday, November 21, 2008, 8:00p.m. – 9:00p.m.

Pizza and Refreshments will be served. Teens are required to sign-in at the door.

For more information, please contact Megan at 629-4176 or mgauthier@city.charlottetown.pe.ca

My boys and I attended the ribbon cutting ceremony last week for the new bicycle lane at Victoria Park. We cycled from one end to the other and back, and as Brodie said, “We won.” I’ve used the lane several times in the past week and I’m happy to see that bicycle traffic is picking up. This morning in the 6 or 7 minutes as I was jogging around the boardwalk I spotted at least a half dozen cyclists in the bike lane.

The City is soliciting comments from residents about the cycling lane using a short online survey. Please take a moment to tell us how you feel about it.

After some prodding from local residents — including gentle reminders of the recommendations in the City’s own comprehensive Parks Master Plan that was completed last year with extensive public input — Council has decided to close the inner lane of the Victoria Park road for the use of cyclists and other forms of “active transport”. This is a pilot project. The closure is temporary, beginning in July and ending in September. It will be used to measure interest and determine what effect, if any, it may have on other users of the park, particularly seniors, who rely on cars for their enjoyment of the park.

At the meeting, the Manager of Parks and Recreation presented a number of excellent recommendations from the Active Transportation Committee, which should be rolled out in the future as logistics are worked out. The Victoria Park initiative is the only one that is confirmed at the moment, but I’m confident others will fall into place as the necessary planning takes place. Judging by the comments and the poll results on the Guardian’s website, residents have strong feelings about the Victoria Park road closure. This is not a surprise as the idea has caused an uproar in the past. I encourage everyone to make their opinion known.

The temporary lane will be just that, temporary, and as such the design and implementation will not be perfect; however Parks staff are determined to make it a success for all park users. In her presentation last night, the Manager made reference to a video I sent her earlier in the week entitled “The Stupidest Bike Lane”. She has committed to doing everything in her power to create Smart Bike Lanes.

The boys and I were at the Victoria Park playground last night. A section of the upper level rail has come undone on the blue/green piece of equipment. It is well anchored by the climbing pole that is attached but, nevertheless, could be dangerous and needs to be fixed ASAP. I’ve contacted Parks & Recreation staff to make them aware.

At the November public meeting of council last night I was the lone vote against a Heritage Board resolution approving new tennis courts for Victoria Park. Today, Dave Stewart from the Guardian emailed and asked why I opposed. Here is my reply, some of which you may read verbatim in an upcoming edition of the newspaper:

Last night’s resolution on the tennis courts was a recommendation from Heritage Board (of which I’m a member). This recommendation was required because Victoria Park is now a designated Heritage resource. Heritage Board recommended approval of the tennis courts, but only by a bare majority — the board was almost evenly split. Also, while campaigning throughout my ward last year, and at recent public meetings on this issue, I heard from many residents who were opposed to any further development or construction in Victoria Park. I knew the resolution would pass easily, so I voted against the resolution because a 10-0 vote would not have been representative of public opinion on the matter. There are many divergent views on what Victoria Park should, and should not be and there was certainly opposition to the construction of these new courts.

I always use Point Pleasant Park in Halifax as a good example of what I’d like to see happen at Victoria Park. In 2005, Halifax held an International Design Competition for Point Pleasant Park. It was very comprehensive, with a jury, technical review team, public consultations, etc. The winning design took into consideration the three main components of the park; cultural history, natural history, and recreation. And it stressed the importance of design and long-term planning. The winning submissions from that competition are now being rolled into a larger Master Plan for Point Pleasant Park.

I think there is an appetite for this kind of process for Victoria Park. The recent Parks Master Plan was a high-level plan for all of our parks resources, but I think Victoria Park needs to be treated individually, since it’s our “crown jewel”. It could really be an incredible landmark for the city, but it falls just a bit short currently, in my opinion, mostly because of poor design and planning. Gary Schneider’s forest management plan was a great step forward ecologically, but that needs to be a part of a greater plan.

I have nothing against tennis. I used to be very good at it.