Recreation, Parks and Culture Master Plan - Town of Ajax

Recreation, Parks & Culture Facilities
Community Centre to an alternative use(s) and create a
centralized hub for creative and cultural activity in the Pickering
Village. Any conversion should conform to directions set forth by
the Pickering Village Urban Design & Heritage Study.
As such, the Town may benefit from repurposing the Village Arena
to become a multi‐purpose/multi‐media recreation space once
the new twin‐pad arena in the proposed multi‐use community
complex at Sportsplex Park is completed (thereby rendering the
Village Arena ice pad as surplus). The Village facility would ideally
include visual, performing art, music and dance, heritage and
gallery spaces; possibilities also exist for spaces for community
groups, leasable vendor opportunities, general meeting areas, etc.
Such a development would lend itself well to Memorial Park,
which contains a public library branch (joint‐spaces in the new
facility may provide additional programming opportunities) and
the very nature of the park, which recognizes the military history
of Ajax. In addition, it is recommended that the Town consider
passive community uses which could be situated upon the open
park space; this may include (but not be limited to) a public plaza
similar in nature to Heritage Square, an outdoor amphitheatre or
performance space, public gardens, personal reflection area, etc.
Libraries are also places that foster creative thought and cultural
activities. It would appear that a new library branch would be
needed to serve the newly developing areas in north Ajax (and
could potentially be located within the new community centre).
An independent library needs assessment would be required to
evaluate the most suitable location(s) and determine the
implementation strategy for new library branches in Ajax.
The Town should continue to develop civic spaces that encourage
social gatherings and are able to accommodate special events
(e.g. Heritage Square, Greenwood Conservation Area, Ajax
Waterfront, etc.), and are supported by the necessary
infrastructure to do so. The demand and support for community
events was apparent throughout the consultation process and
residents appear to greatly value the special events and
gatherings delivered by the municipality.
On a smaller‐scale, public gathering features should be
incorporated into neighbourhood park designs that could
potentially have small amphitheatres/stages, seating areas,
gazebos, etc. These neighbourhood parks would then be able to
host gatherings which could encourage surrounding residents to
interact and develop a sense of community. On a larger scale,
these spaces could include outdoor performance venues which
are able to host larger crowds.
Action Plans:
The Town should continually work with the arts and
cultural community to optimize the utilization of existing
meeting/gathering spaces for their potential to
accommodate specific needs of these groups.
The Town should employ a focused and phased strategy
in developing cultural capacity in Ajax prior to larger
scale facility developments. In support of this effort, the
Town should evaluate the feasibility of retrofitting the
former St. Francis de Sales Church into a venue capable
of hosting community‐level programming including arts
and theatrical productions as churches are ideally suited
for such uses.
Upon completion of the proposed multi‐use community
centre and its associated twin‐pad arena, the Town
should evaluate the feasibility of repurposing the Village
Arena & Community Centre site to become a multipurpose/multi‐media
recreation centre to serve as the
primary hub for cultural activity in the Pickering Village. It
is envisioned that the area itself become a campus for
creative activity by incorporating indoor and outdoor
facilities that are responsive to the creative class,
residents and commercial enterprise.
MONTEITH BROWN PLANNING CONSULTANTS in association with Tucker‐Reid & Associates & The JF Group
April 2008
Page 29