Latest news from the Macdonald Gardens Park: why parks and community efforts matter
By Ilona Horvath, Community Lead, Friends of Macdonald Gardens Park
Macdonald Gardens Park has seen both regular visitors this season – mostly residents living in the vicinity of the park – and kids from neighbouring schools and daycares, as well as others from near and far. They all benefit from the open greenspace for playing soccer, exercising, or just relaxing on the grass. Dogs and their owners frequent the west side in the off-leash area, while others prefer to stay on the east side. They enjoy the shade under the protection of some magnificent heritage trees, and see the world go by, especially on some very hot days like this summer. The gazebo – a landmark structure in the park over more than 100 years – has increasingly been used for special occasions including community and family events. Watching fireworks is another late summer fun activity from the park’s hill.
(Photo: Ilona Horvath)
A small group of volunteers works hard behind the scenes to support the park. The Friends of the Macdonald Gardens Park was part of Lowertown’s efforts to have this historical park designated as a cultural landscape. Ever since the heritage designation in 2017, we have advocated for its preservation and have engaged with the city and other stakeholders. An important milestone was the creation of a Park Conservation Plan at the request of the local community. The Friends have organized biannual park cleanups for over two decades to keep the park tidy. Kudos to the devoted volunteers who pick up trash regularly and put in countless hours to beautify the park!
Welcome news this year is that the Friends received a TD Park People Grant for two events. In early June, we added some flowers and plants to the existing flower beds, and we are getting ready for another community event. This will primarily be geared towards students at all three Lowertown East schools. However, it will be yet another occasion for the whole community to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Bytown. The tentative date is September 19/20 – stay tuned!
Lowertown also has challenges when it comes to parks.
It is a densely populated neighbourhood and one of the inner-city areas with the lowest per capita useable parkland and tree canopy coverage. Indeed, this park is another important green space for the neighbourhood! As there are limits to expanding park space downtown, the conflicting needs of park users are more visible (e.g., dogs running without a leash, people playing ball games, kids sledding down the hill).
And there are other challenges and concerns for this park. Residents living in this neighbourhood have witnessed the gradual degradation of safety and security which is partly due to the recurrence of encampments in recent years as well as rising public disorder. The city must take measures to mitigate the impacts in the short term and find long-term solutions to address these issues. As such, it is particularly important that residents report issues by calling 911 for Police, 311 for city services, and 211 for ANCHOR when they see, for example, drug use or vandalism that create health and safety concerns for park users.
The city has inadequate funds for maintenance, and this has major negative impacts. This heritage park has special maintenance needs accompanied by higher costs needed to preserve its original character, materials, and infrastructure. The Macdonald Gardens Park Conservation Plan from 2022 concluded that “the heritage value of the park is threatened and/or being diminished due to lack of maintenance resources and a guiding vision.” However, no special heritage funds are available for the upkeep of the park, which has not received any capital funding for improvements for at least 20 years. The councillor put aside some funds for select items from the park priority list, but the park needs more.
The Friends and the Lowertown Community Association’s heritage advocates have worked tirelessly, and we need more support from all stakeholders to make this happen. We also look for volunteers who are interested in contributing their time and effort to maintaining and improving the park. If you’re interested in joining the Friends or just want to receive updated, please email ge584@ncf.ca.
See you around the park!
