Heritage Park, one of Barrie's most prominent waterfront spaces, may be getting a facelift and the city is looking for your opinion.
A virtual public meeting was held this afternoon to show some conceptual designs for what Heritage Park could look like in the future. Another meeting will also take place again tonight at 6-8 p.m., for those who were unable to attend Thursday afternoon's earlier meeting.
Dubbed a 'master plan process' for Heritage Park, the 7.3-acre waterfront park, located on Simcoe Street, hasn’t had any significant change since its original development in the early 1990s.
Prior to Thursday afternoon's virtual meeting, Coun. Keenan Aylwin, who represents this part of Barrie, told BarrieToday he believes Heritage Park is a key strategic area of Barrie due to its location being downtown near Kempenfelt Bay.
“As the city grows, we should work to ensure that this park remains a welcoming, beautiful place for residents and visitors alike,” Aylwin said. “The concepts will be presented for the first time at the public information sessions, and I hope everyone will take the opportunity to learn more and then make their voice heard.”
The three concepts — which are being called Refresh, Rehab and Rethink — are intended to create conversation and get ideas flowing with a survey, which is open to the public from today until June 11.
Feedback from this public engagement will be incorporated into a final master plan, which will be presented at a second public information centre in the fall.
The three proposals had slight differences from each other, but some ideas were noticeable in each.
A consistent thought in each proposal showed a more open main entry into Heritage Park, with the area directly across from Meridian Place having more of a gathering feel.
In one concept, there are also streamlined rock seating areas, with those same rock seating ideas being prevalent throughout the park.
One resident raised concerns about the streamlined idea and hoped there would be more of a natural feel to the park, with the greenery still being a main focus.
In all of the concepts, the gazebo that currently sits at the centre of the park would be taken out and there are plans for more culturally and architecturally sound structures to take its place.
The existing splash pad is also set for an upgrade in each concept with the idea of making the park by the bay have a better visible connection to the water.
The public washrooms will also be brought up-to-date with any concept decided on.
The city is working with SHIFT Landscape Architecture, whose landscape architect, Michael Barker, told BarrieToday that the project is in the very early stages and costs can’t be determined until all ideas are put together for a proper proposal to council.
Barker did say that the projects could eventually be in the area of “$3 to $4 million, with the high-end project being around $8 million.”
Over the past several months, a consulting team has carried out multiple stakeholder meetings that have led the design team to identify key issues, constraints and opportunities that require exploration with the public during this process.
Aylwin, who grew up in Barrie, said that having attended both elementary and high school in the downtown area, he has enjoyed the transformation of the waterfront over the years.
“We have one of the most beautiful waterfronts in the province. I’m so thankful for the leadership of past mayors and councils who envisioned a public space along the waterfront and protected it from being sold off to private developers like has been done in so many other communities,” he said.
“As the city continues to grow, particularly in the downtown area, we need to enhance and grow the public spaces that are available for our residents," Aylwin added. "Heritage Park is a critical piece of that overall vision.”
Other features highlighted in the proposals were more wooden deck areas for viewing the lake, with one proposal having a fishing deck.
City of Barrie landscape architectural planner Wendy Loevenmark also mentioned the possibility of the proposed I Love Barrie sign being part of the plans, should city council choose Heritage Park as the destination for the sign.
The survey for the proposal and the link for tonight's 6 p.m. meeting are both available by clicking this link.
Questions can be directed to the Landscape Architectural Planner via City of Barrie Parks Planning, Box 400, 70 Collier St., Barrie, Ont., L4M 4T5; by calling 705-739-4242; or by emailing [email protected].
