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People who frequent Dundonald Park in downtown Ottawa are hoping an upcoming revitalization project will bring its aging infrastructure up to date.
Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster said the city has budgeted about $500,000 for the project, which is still in its early stages.
Troster said she’s reaching out to the community for ideas through an online survey which is open until early July.
“It’s such an important park not just to Centretown, but to the whole city,” she said. “And the fact that we have a generous budget means the sky’s the limit, so we encourage people’s ideas.”
She said ideas she’s heard so far include new benches and a permanent stage for outdoor performances.
Garvin Snider says Dundonald Park is like a hub for all walks of life in the Centretown neighborhood, and is happy to hear that $500,000 in upgrades are on the way. (Nathan Fung/CBC)
Garvin Snider lives in Centretown and frequents Dundonald Park. Also known as “Chalk Man,” Snider likes to decorate the park’s sidewalks with colourful chalk art. He also participates in an Indigenous circle that meets every Tuesday to share stories and items for people in need.
Snider said the park is a hub for all walks of life in the neighborhood, and he’s happy to hear that upgrades are on the way.
“This is my childhood park,” said Snider, who grew up in the area. “The park is like people’s backyards or front porches for a lot of people in the community.”
Nathan Styles also frequents the park during the summer months to talk with friends, and agreed that the 121-year-old green space is starting to show its age.
“It’s definitely been here for longer than I’ve been alive, so there’s been a lot of life that’s come through this park, but it’s starting to become run down,” he said.
Nathan Styles frequently comes to Dundonald Park in the summer to sit with people and talk. He says new benches and other amenities could give the park new life. (Nathan Fung/CBC)
Troster said security in the park is a major issue she hears about frequently, and she said the future facelift could help by attracting more visitors.
“If it’s constantly dynamic, if there’s always people there and there’s always stuff happening, it’s actually safer for everyone,” she said.
Snider said one approach to the problem of drug use in the park would be to expand some of the outreach programs currently operating in the ByWard Market area.
“If somebody is using here in the park or is belligerent or … whatever the issue is, they come and … try and intervene first before the authorities are involved,” he said. “That way it helps to make everybody inclusive in the park.”