The City chose to include Sylvia Holden Community Park in the RFP. This has raised concerns with residents for the following reasons:
1. Poor Consultation
The only public meeting held with local residents was on 28-SEP-2009 and the people had no opportunity to ask questions. At that point, the City assured residents that the park was excluded. Now, we find out that it is included and know little about what will become of it. It is incumbent upon the City to sit down with residents to explain.
2. Unknown Layout
The elements of the park may be moved around to integrate them into a larger Urban Park. Does this mean that parking garages or staging areas will be located along Holmwood & O'Connor?
3. Universal Access
The Community Park is to be integrated into the Urban Park and parts of the Urban Park will be closed when large events are held at Lansdowne. Will the wading pool and playing fields be closed whenever there's a concert, football game or festival (e.g. during Bluesfest)?
4. The Park is Part of our Heritage
The existing Community Park is a part of the heritage of the neighbourhood. It was established in honour of Sylvia Holden and it includes commemorative trees and mature trees. How do we preserve this history?
5. Governance
The re-developed Lansdowne Site may be managed by a Municipal Services Corporation (MSC). Apparently, the Community Park will continue to be operated by the City. How is this possible if the Community Park is integrated into the Urban Park? What prevents the MSC controlling access or imposing fees?
6. Incorrect Inventory (no dog park!!)
The RFP indicates that : "Sylvia Holden Park includes two baseball diamonds, a basketball court, a splash pad, a play structure, outdoor rinks, an informal sports field and a small wadding [sic] pool and a park support building." The inventory omits the dog park, two sets of swings and all of the the trees. And there is no splash pad nor outdoor rinks. Will the new park have a splash-pad instead of a real wading pool?
7. Will the Park be Safe for Children?
The re-developed Lansdowne site is going to include a huge shopping mall and will host large sporting events, concerts and festivals with huge crowds. Will the Community Park continue to be a safe place for children?
8. Is the City able to Deliver?
The outcome of the design competition will be an ambitious park project. Does the City have the budget to deliver this project? Or will we only see the commercial aspects (e.g. shopping mall, hotel) be realized. The City of Ottawa has a track record of promising ambitious re-development and not following through (e.g. Orleans town centre, Lebreton Flats, Westboro Loblaws).
Many aspects of the Lansdowne site can be improved - however - the community park works well as it is. Please write to council and John Smit, city manager in charge of the redevelopment project, to share your concerns.
The GCA is organizing an information meeting on April 15th at 7:30pm at the Glebe Community Centre - please come out!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Dear Councillor Hume
What follows is a cut/paste of Adrian's letter to Councillor Hume:
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Councilor Peter Hume
110 Laurier Avenue West,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 1J1
re: Sylvia Holden Community Park
Dear Councillor Hume:
I am writing you in regards to Sylvia Holden Community Park. I live near Lansdowne Park and have two young children. We frequently use the wading pool, play structure, playing field, basketball courts and picnic tables in the park. These facilities are extensively used by local residents : the wading pool is always full, the play structures crowded with children and the field is frequently used for pick-up soccer.
During the public consultations in 2009 regarding Lansdowne redevelopment, the City reassured residents that the Community Park was not part of the redevelopment and that it would be left intact. Furthermore, during the consultations there was no mention of using Lansdowne for events like Bluesfest. Not once during the consultations in 2009 did a representative of the City stand in front of a public meeting with the residents of the affected communities (Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Ottawa East).
Now, the City has now done an about face and has included the Sylvia Holden Community Park within the scope of the RFP and is now planning to make Lansdowne a site for major festivals. I’m familiar with the caveats in the RFP regarding Sylvia Holden Park which stipulate the elements of the park must be retained, although they can be moved, however, I feel this is totally inadequate. Therefore, I kindly request that you address the following three points:
1. It seems clear that the OSEG shopping mall and stadium development are going to go ahead. This alone is going to cost the city over $100M. It’s likely that the current competition for the back of the park (aka ‘Front Lawn’) will produce some innovative designs. What assurance do citizens have that the City will actually proceed to implement the winning design for the urban park? Does the City have the budget to finance an elaborate urban park - especially in the context of the stadium redevelopment and lightrail projects? Or will the outcome be what happened with the Loblaws in Westboro, where the plans included elements like townhouses to buffer the neighbourhood, but which never materialized. Similarly, with the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans. This PPP was supposed to include affordable housing and an expansion of the YMCA amongst other things which never materialized. The City ended up paying a nearly million dollar cost overrun and chose not to cash a $2.5 million penalty due to delays. So, why should residents have any confidence that the City of Ottawa will follow through with the full implementation of an expensive urban park at Lansdowne - especially those elements that are not revenue generating?
2.The City now foresees that Lansdowne will host large events like Bluesfest, Jazzfest, etc. in addition to CFL football games and large outdoor concerts. Even if there is a re-configured community park, how will the city ensure that the park and surrounding streets are a safe place for children? Most of these festivals occur during the summer, just when local residents need a children’s park. Will we be able to take our children to a safe park if tens of thousands of people are congregating for a CFL football game or Bluefest concert? Due to the high-density in the surrounding neighbourhoods, few families have gardens which are large enough for children to play. During the summer, the community park is critically important as it’s the only place local children can play.
3.The governance structure for the Lansdowne site involves having a OSEG manage the site under the auspices of a Municipal Services Corporation. If the Community Park (e.g. wading pool, play structures, playing field) are dispersed through a larger Urban Park managed by a MSC, how will the City retain control of the Community Park? If, in the future, OSEG through the MSC wants to close the Community Park to use the space for concerts or overflow parking - what is to prevent them?
In respect to the issue of Sylvia Holden Community Park - the Lansdowne project has evolved significantly since the consultations held during the fall. The community park is now going to be re-designed, whereas previously it was excluded. During the fall, the public was told that there would only be a few nights a year when large events (10,000+ people) were going to be held at the new Lansdowne Park. With the inclusion of Bluesfest, Jazzfest, Winterlude and other festivals - these large scale events are going to be the norm rather than the exception. This will no doubt bring more consumers through the OSEG shopping mall - but it is also going to transform the local vicinity from one that is a great place to raise children into one that will be unsafe for children. It’s not reasonable for any city to undertake development of this scale which will massively impact the local neighbourhood without at least having an interactive, public meeting with the affected residents. I therefore, call upon you to attend the meeting being held by the Glebe Community Association on Thursday April 15th on the topic of Sylvia Holden Park, in order to address the concerns of local residents.
Respectfully,
Adrian Evans
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Councilor Peter Hume
110 Laurier Avenue West,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 1J1
re: Sylvia Holden Community Park
Dear Councillor Hume:
I am writing you in regards to Sylvia Holden Community Park. I live near Lansdowne Park and have two young children. We frequently use the wading pool, play structure, playing field, basketball courts and picnic tables in the park. These facilities are extensively used by local residents : the wading pool is always full, the play structures crowded with children and the field is frequently used for pick-up soccer.
During the public consultations in 2009 regarding Lansdowne redevelopment, the City reassured residents that the Community Park was not part of the redevelopment and that it would be left intact. Furthermore, during the consultations there was no mention of using Lansdowne for events like Bluesfest. Not once during the consultations in 2009 did a representative of the City stand in front of a public meeting with the residents of the affected communities (Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Ottawa East).
Now, the City has now done an about face and has included the Sylvia Holden Community Park within the scope of the RFP and is now planning to make Lansdowne a site for major festivals. I’m familiar with the caveats in the RFP regarding Sylvia Holden Park which stipulate the elements of the park must be retained, although they can be moved, however, I feel this is totally inadequate. Therefore, I kindly request that you address the following three points:
1. It seems clear that the OSEG shopping mall and stadium development are going to go ahead. This alone is going to cost the city over $100M. It’s likely that the current competition for the back of the park (aka ‘Front Lawn’) will produce some innovative designs. What assurance do citizens have that the City will actually proceed to implement the winning design for the urban park? Does the City have the budget to finance an elaborate urban park - especially in the context of the stadium redevelopment and lightrail projects? Or will the outcome be what happened with the Loblaws in Westboro, where the plans included elements like townhouses to buffer the neighbourhood, but which never materialized. Similarly, with the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans. This PPP was supposed to include affordable housing and an expansion of the YMCA amongst other things which never materialized. The City ended up paying a nearly million dollar cost overrun and chose not to cash a $2.5 million penalty due to delays. So, why should residents have any confidence that the City of Ottawa will follow through with the full implementation of an expensive urban park at Lansdowne - especially those elements that are not revenue generating?
2.The City now foresees that Lansdowne will host large events like Bluesfest, Jazzfest, etc. in addition to CFL football games and large outdoor concerts. Even if there is a re-configured community park, how will the city ensure that the park and surrounding streets are a safe place for children? Most of these festivals occur during the summer, just when local residents need a children’s park. Will we be able to take our children to a safe park if tens of thousands of people are congregating for a CFL football game or Bluefest concert? Due to the high-density in the surrounding neighbourhoods, few families have gardens which are large enough for children to play. During the summer, the community park is critically important as it’s the only place local children can play.
3.The governance structure for the Lansdowne site involves having a OSEG manage the site under the auspices of a Municipal Services Corporation. If the Community Park (e.g. wading pool, play structures, playing field) are dispersed through a larger Urban Park managed by a MSC, how will the City retain control of the Community Park? If, in the future, OSEG through the MSC wants to close the Community Park to use the space for concerts or overflow parking - what is to prevent them?
In respect to the issue of Sylvia Holden Community Park - the Lansdowne project has evolved significantly since the consultations held during the fall. The community park is now going to be re-designed, whereas previously it was excluded. During the fall, the public was told that there would only be a few nights a year when large events (10,000+ people) were going to be held at the new Lansdowne Park. With the inclusion of Bluesfest, Jazzfest, Winterlude and other festivals - these large scale events are going to be the norm rather than the exception. This will no doubt bring more consumers through the OSEG shopping mall - but it is also going to transform the local vicinity from one that is a great place to raise children into one that will be unsafe for children. It’s not reasonable for any city to undertake development of this scale which will massively impact the local neighbourhood without at least having an interactive, public meeting with the affected residents. I therefore, call upon you to attend the meeting being held by the Glebe Community Association on Thursday April 15th on the topic of Sylvia Holden Park, in order to address the concerns of local residents.
Respectfully,
Adrian Evans
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Good to Meet You
Despite cold weather there was a strong turn-out for the March 21st meeting at Sylvia Holden Community Park with 20 new volunteers signed-up to help the cause. The children started the 'popsicle soccer' season with a small match on the playing field and then moved over to the play structure. The adults met to discuss their concerns; many people weren't aware that the intended uses of Lansdowne include large concerts and as a satellite site for festivals like Bluesfest. This was of great concern to parents who realized that their children wouldn't necessarily be safe. Users of the dog park weren't aware that the dog park is possibly in jeopardy. MPP Yasir Naqvi joined the meeting and he pointed out that it was important to consider the history of the park and that the current park commemorates Sylvia Holden who played an important role in our community - we can't just move the park and preserve this heritage. After the meeting, the group moved over to the play structure for a photo of children displaying the message 'Save Our Park'. We discussed follow-up activities and are planning to organize a hug-the-park event and a community barbecue. Many thanks to everybody who came out and who volunteered to get involved.
Please remember to send a note to register your concern.
Use this quick email link to begin composing an email which includes the mayor and councillors, the city`s project manager, the NCC, Parks Canada, and mayoral candidate Jim Watson.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Meeting This Sunday
Come and share info with your neighbours this Sunday! 4pm at the park, by the playstructure.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Flickr Is Up!
The Sylvia Holden Park flickr site is setup with the photos we received so far. Please still send your pictures and we can add them. The more the better.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Photo Site
Hi everyone,
We are setting up a photo site to highlight the different uses of the park and how much fun we all have there. If you have photos to contribute, please pass them along.
Note that the photo site will be viewable but the public so please make sure that the people in the pictures (or parents!) have given their consent.
Rob
We are setting up a photo site to highlight the different uses of the park and how much fun we all have there. If you have photos to contribute, please pass them along.
Note that the photo site will be viewable but the public so please make sure that the people in the pictures (or parents!) have given their consent.
Rob
Lots of Links
Here are some links to information about the Lansdowne Partnership Plan that relate to our community park:
- Guiding Principles for Design Competition
- Lansdowne Timeline
- Slides from the Design Symposium. The 3rd to last slide 'Overlap Area' is very interesting. It shows how the Commercial development is really what dominates the site.
- An Ottawa Citizen article by Maria Cook on the Request for Proposals (RFP)
- and the actual RFP for those who really want to dig in.
From the RFP, here is the key text regarding the community park:
Sylvia Holden Community Park
Sylvia Holden Park is currently separated from the Primary Competition Area by a chain-link fence. Design solutions are to integrate the existing park with the new urban park design.
The facilities in the existing park are important to the local community. Design solutions may propose to redesign the existing community park; however, must also ensure that the park amenities are not lost. Therefore if redesigned, the primary community facilities must be integrated into the new urban park and must remain fully community accessible at all times.
Currently, the primary community facilities in Sylvia Holden Park include two baseball diamonds, a basketball court, a splash pad, a play structure, outdoor rinks, an informal sports field and a small wadding pool and a park support building. If any of the current facilities are relocated to a new area, the new facilities must be in place before the existing ones are decommissioned.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Let’s Save Sylvia Holden Community Park!
Dear Neighbours,
Do you use the wading pool, dog run, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, play structures or open field at the Community Park behind the fire station near Lansdowne Park? If so, you should know that this Community Park (part of Sylvia Holden Park) may be affected by Lansdowne’s redevelopment.
The principles and terms of reference for the Lansdowne urban park design competition call for proposals to integrate the Community Park within the new urban park and the larger civic agenda of Lansdowne Park. From a design perspective, this might make sense and there may be an opportunity to redesign the Community Park. However, if the partnership with OSEG goes ahead, the city will no longer run Lansdowne Park. It will be managed by a Municipal Services Corporation (MSC). Will there be user fees? Will they close off access during large events at Lansdowne? Will it determine the types of activities? Many questions, few clear answers.
We believe it is vital to protect this space as a Community Park (wading pool, play structure, dog park, baseball, basketball, dog park, etc.). One has to ask why the Community Park is being included in the design competition, while more than twenty acres of the site are set aside for commercial development.
If you are concerned, please:
Do you use the wading pool, dog run, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, play structures or open field at the Community Park behind the fire station near Lansdowne Park? If so, you should know that this Community Park (part of Sylvia Holden Park) may be affected by Lansdowne’s redevelopment.
The principles and terms of reference for the Lansdowne urban park design competition call for proposals to integrate the Community Park within the new urban park and the larger civic agenda of Lansdowne Park. From a design perspective, this might make sense and there may be an opportunity to redesign the Community Park. However, if the partnership with OSEG goes ahead, the city will no longer run Lansdowne Park. It will be managed by a Municipal Services Corporation (MSC). Will there be user fees? Will they close off access during large events at Lansdowne? Will it determine the types of activities? Many questions, few clear answers.
We believe it is vital to protect this space as a Community Park (wading pool, play structure, dog park, baseball, basketball, dog park, etc.). One has to ask why the Community Park is being included in the design competition, while more than twenty acres of the site are set aside for commercial development.
If you are concerned, please:
- Write Councillor Peter Hume (peter.hume@ottawa.ca), the City’s project and manager John Smit (john.smit@ottawa.ca); the NCC (marie.lemay@ncc-ccn.ca) and Parks Canada (alan.latourelle@pc.gc.ca). Ask them to leave the Community Park out of the Lansdowne redevelopment. Please copy to the rest of council. (This mail link will include the named people, councillors, and mayor.)
- Join your neighbours for an informal get-together at the Community Park on Sunday, March 21st at 4:00pm.
- Attend a public meeting organized by the GCA on Thursday, April 15th at 7:30pm the Glebe Community Centre (Scotton Hall).
- Get involved by sending us an email; include photos showing how you use the park to: save.sylvia.holden.park@gmail.com.
- Stay informed at http://savesylviaholdenpark.blogspot.com/
- Write a letter to the editor of your newspaper!
Adrian Evans
Robert Campbell
Joseph Duggan
Robert Campbell
Joseph Duggan
First Post
You might have seen this poster around the neighbourhood. We'll be using this blog for keeping people informed regarding our community park and potential changes to it. Please make time for the meetings. Your participation is important.
If you have ideas, comments, or would like to post to this site you can send mail to save.sylvia.holden.park@gmail.com.
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