A space to call their own

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This article was published 23/08/2018 (2818 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Residents of East St. Paul have a new gathering place.

Hundreds gathered on Aug. 16 for the unveiling of Centennial Plaza, a major revamp of what was previously part of the municipal building’s parking lot at 3021 Birds Hill Rd. Work began on the $400,000 project last year as part of the RM’s 100th anniversary celebrations.

“We wanted to be able to tell our story,” Shelley Hart, mayor of East St. Paul, told the crowd, which included area residents and dignitaries from neighbouring municipalities, the federal and provincial governments, and the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation. “This is a celebration of what was, and what is to come.”

“This project is an enormous success,” said MaryAnn Mihychuk, MP for Kildonan-St. Paul, who brought greetings from federal government, which provided $319,000 in funding for the plaza. 

An additional $50,550 was raised by the municipality through a fundraising campaign, with the province chipping in a $30,000.

“This is a great vision,” said Ron Schuler, MLA for St. Paul and an East St. Paul resident. “It’s a beautiful space.”

This is a celebration of what was, and what is to come.

Chief Deborah Smith brought congratulatory greetings from the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, and thanked the RM for including them “in the spirit of reconciliation.”

Centennial Plaza includes a covered meeting space reminiscent of a barn and a rough wooden stage that is meant to evoke a front porch where the community can celebrate events like Canada Day. Corina and Brigitta Schuler sang a selection of songs to kick off the festivities, accompanied by Ben Ziprick on percussion and Dane Neufeld on guitar.

Rectangular paving stones are interlaid throughout the plaza in reference to the long Red River lots, while limestone benches and historic markers pay homage to the area’s geological and industrial history. Chess boards are etched atop a number of the granite blocks, an invitation for visitors to sit and stay a while.

“We wanted the village to have a walkable destination for residents of all ages,” Hart added. “We want to see people hanging out, meeting people, use it as a destination, an extension of our building.”

The church bell from the St. Catherine Anglican Church was donated to the RM by Rosie Jackson, owner of Sky’s the Limit Montessori School (3202 Birds Hill Rd.), who purchased the old church in 2015. The bell itself was cast in 1915, and was rung regularly until 1994, when the church roof could no longer support the bell’s weight, and again at the new bell tower intermittently from 2002 to 2010, when the church closed. The bell has been refurbished, and is on prominent display on the north side of the plaza.

Rev. Canon Bob Webster, former priest from St. Catherine’s Anglican Church, rededicated the bell with a short service and prayer. Former St. Catherine’s parishioners Ernie Parrish and Jean Cunningham rang the bell. The sound, echoing down Birds Hill Road, is one that residents will surely get used to hearing again for years to come.

“That meant a lot to me, because that was my old church,” Hart said.

The plaza was designed by Architecture49 and constructed by J & D Penner. Local artists Judy Sutton, Wendy Galagan, Winona Kling, Elma Rausser, Jo Smoley, Sandy Artimowich and Dave Feeney were included in the design sessions.

Throughout the early conceptual plans for the plaza through the design phase to construction, Hart said it was important to have the community involved as much as possible. 

“It represents the community’s history,” Hart explained. “We don’t have a lot of history in our community where people can walk around and understand how we evolved as a community. The idea is to help us understand our origins, so we have a better understanding of our community and where it came from.”

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca or call him at 204-697-7112

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