Inner-city renaissance

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This article was published 01/05/2009 (6126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A soccer pitch with artificial turf, a giant toboggan slide and the largest spray park in the city are key features in a $5-million renovation to Central Park.

The long-overdue makeover to the downtown park was driven by area residents, who suggested the new amenities were needed for the neighbourhood.

"It’s nice to see a plan that conforms with the people’s wishes," Rev. Bill Millar of nearby Knox United Church said.

"The planners (from landscape architecture firm Scatliff Miller Murray) engaged the community, and they listened to what they had to say and were able to incorporate their not-so-simple needs in a vibrant development."

Drawings and details of the park were released this week — Wednesday night at a neighbourhood forum and Thursday morning at the CentreVenture annual general meeting.

Landscape architect Bob Somers said the goal is to have the project completed this year: The north end of the park should be completed by July and the south end by November, with some landscaping likely being done in 2010.

Funding for the project was provided by the three levels of government ($2 million), philanthropist Gerry Gray ($1 million), and contributions from the Winnipeg Foundation and CentreVenture.

The park is tucked behind a dense tree canopy north of Portage Place, bounded by Ellice and Cumberland avenues and Carlton and Edmonton streets. It’s become a meeting place for new immigrants but it’s also dogged by a reputation for attracting drug addicts and random acts of violence.

But Millar said the immigrant community has slowly transformed the park, adding it’s no longer the dangerous place it was 10 to 15 years ago.

"The largest issue may be convincing citizens that (the area) is safe," Millar said.

"We do annual cleanup every May and June and we haven’t found any needles or used condoms in the last two to three years."

Millar said the park won’t solve the area’s social issues, adding the solution lies in an economic development plan, which the community needs.

Knox United Church has played a key role in the transformation of the neighbourhood, fostering its growth as a setting for new immigrants.

Millar said the incorporation of the market and the soccer pitch reflect the community’s reliance on those activities and the key role both amenities play in peoples’ daily lives.

"The revitalization of Central Park will complement the work the community has done in reclaiming the area," Millar said.

The best-known feature of Central Park used to be Waddell Fountain, which was built in 1914 as a monument to the wife of a Winnipeg temperance leader and was designated as a historic site in 1914. The fountain is being refurbished and should be completed in two months.

Three-quarters of the people who live in the neighbourhood are new Canadians, many from East Africa, who take part in a market held every Saturday. The market area is being expanded to accommodate 20 temporary stalls and it could be expanded further if Edmonton Street is closed during the summer.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

 

 

Place to play

Water park: Includes spray park, wading pool and a toddler play area attached to daycare centre.

Artificial turf field: About two-thirds the size of a regulation soccer pitch. They’re not putting down lines to allow flexible play configurations.

Central Park market: Space for 20 temporary stalls. Sewer, water and power will be installed to allow food vendors to operate within health regulations. Numbers of stalls could be expanded by spilling on to Edmonton Street.

Sand-and-water play area: Environmental education centre featuring troughs and weirs. Water will be turned off at night.

Play structure: One from north end of park being moved to south end.

Slide/toboggan hill: Five metres high.

Waddell Fountain: Repairs underway.