Foundation has big plans in mind for centennial

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This article was published 18/01/2019 (2814 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The country’s first community foundation is hoping to mark its centennial with a major legacy project in Fort Rouge.

The Winnipeg Foundation announced $5 million in financial support for two capital projects currently being studied by the City of Winnipeg: a pedestrian and cycling bridge between the downtown and Fort Rouge, and a overhaul of the City of Winnipeg’s archives within the historic Carnegie Library on William Avenue.

Rick Frost, chief executive officer of The Winnipeg Foundation, said the board was interested in investing in public amenity projects as part of its celebration.

“We looked at a number of different options of things that we might do in that regard, and the board decided that these two projects were good choices partially because one represents the past, and The Winnipeg Foundation is an endowment-based organization, so our capacity is based on gifts we’ve received for the past 100 years,” Frost said.

“The other thing they wanted to do was look for a project that had a vision of a progressive, forward-looking city, and so the idea of putting both these projects together emerged from the conversation.”

In 2015, the City approved its Winnipeg Pedestrian and Cycling Strategies, which identified a walk-bike bridge between Fort Rouge Park and McFadyen Park as a priority to enhance the active transportation network.

In January 2017, the City began its public consultations on the proposal, and in March 2018 revealed three design options for a future bridge, as well as proposed cycling infrastructure and park improvements. The $400,000 study is nearing completion with the project team wrapping up final consultations on cycling routes and preparing to recommend a preferred preliminary design for the bridge and parks.

Before any construction can begin, the City will have to create a detailed design, with funding based on approval from city council.

Frost hopes funding from the foundation will encourage city council to pledge money to the project and to include the bridge in its 2019 five year budget forecast, alongside improvements to the City’s archives. The division of its $5-million contribution between the two projects is subject to negotiation with the City, he said.

“We’d like to see them (the two projects) advanced into the 2021 time frame,” Frost said. “We say the 2021 time frame, recognizing that these are capital projects and sometimes you can’t do them quite as fast as you think.”

The City has delayed the release of its draft budget by a month as it awaits confirmation on provincial funding. It is expected to be tabled in March.

Frost said the decision to move forward on the projects with the foundation’s backing ultimately lies with the City of Winnipeg, and his organization won’t be lobbying city officials.

“In making that decision it’s nice to have all the information on the table and knowing that there’s somebody out there who’s perhaps willing to pay for part of the project, may hopefully influence their decision making,” Frost said.

Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) said she was excited about the pedestrian and cycling connections associated with the bridge project and the proposed designs, and generally is supportive of pedestrian-cycling infrastructure.

“The proposal and the partnership really merits consideration and I, like everybody else, looked at it in real time right away,” Rollins said. “So, I’m reviewing the proposal and am familiarizing myself with it, as the ward councillor and as part of the budget discussion.”

Rollins, who is the chair of the standing committee on protection, community services, and parks, and sits on the executive policy committee, said she would not comment on the budgetary process or whether she would support advancing the timeline on the bridge.

“I will speak generally and say not specific to any proposal in front (of us) on any file, I take a city-wide view when I’m sitting in that chair.” 

Frost said a bridge at Fort Rouge and McFadyen Parks had been on the foundation’s radar for a decade, when the organization developed a downtown greenspace strategy and invested funds in the development of Old Market Square and the Cube.

He noted the year 2023 is also the City of Winnipeg’s 150th anniversary, and a fitting time to think about the future image of the city and protecting its archives.

“It’s not like these are new projects. They’ve conceptually been out there for a long time,” Frost said. “But they seem to be timely investments right now, and they seem like they’re not high enough on the priority list from our perspective.”