BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letters are in response to a story titled 'Iconic gardens, stairs getting facelift at Midland's Little Lake Park,' published June 27.
Why are the stairs being replaced in Little Lake Park?
As a walker and a senior I have used them many times without a problem.
It seems a shame to destroy them instead of fixing them if they require care.
These stairs are part of our heritage here in Midland.
Linda Duval
Midland
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I do have to agree on your reader's letter.
This is a part of our heritage and having been born and raised in Midland the staircase holds a lot of memories for a lot of people, not only in Midland but out-of-town visitors.
I think it is the wrong thing to do to destroy heritage of our parks, which at one time a beautiful peaceful place to sit and connect with nature.
May I add that the original pavilion that sat up at the top of those beautiful stairs is still standing out at the Midland Mountain View Ski Area and is used as a chalet for cross-country skiers.
Sharon Foster
Midland
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Your letter's author was right about our collective desire to keep our beautiful park as historic as possible.
The full reconstruction project at the tiered garden and stairs in LLP is a 2023 project and is funded by reserves. We went to tender last year but the bids were far over budget. We then worked with the architect on simplifying the design and went to tender again and were successful in obtaining a contractor within budget.
The new design will feature one set of stairs in the middle of the new tiered gardens with lighting on the stairway and a new lookout spot at the top. The gardens will also be pollinator friendly.
Rebuilding what we had was simply not within our means while also trying to keep our costs and tax increases at or below the rate of inflation. Responsible use of tax money and living within our means drives our decision-making and just like what we're going through with the Rotary Stage and the roof, I'm happy we found compromises that allow us to move forward while also staying within our budgets.
Things were far less expensive to build and maintain decades ago and simply closing/demolishing this historical feature was not something we wanted for Midland so instead we found a way to reconstruct it, keep the historic look and feel, make it safer with integrated lighting and choosing an attractive design with the intent that it will remain that way for decades to come.
Bill Gordon
Midland mayor
