Victoria_Park_Re port Final.pdf - City of Charlottetown

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VICTORIA PARK COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN Final Report • June 2013 In 1873, approximately 40 acres of the Government Farm property was given to the city to be used exclusively as a public park. Extensive landscaping was done, bath houses were constructed and 600 loads of mud and debris were removed from Dead Man’s Pond. The 1873 plan of the City Park and Government Farm show this new public space. Two ponds are located within the new park, as is the battery. Within the Government Farm, the house, outbuildings and landscaping are depicted. This map also depicts the meridian stones erected in 1820. After Victoria Park was created, the space was increasingly used for organized recreation such as cricket, baseball and tennis. A tobogganing slide was also constructed, for the use of members and guests of the Victoria Tobogganing Club. During World War I, the Lieutenant Governor offered Government House and its grounds for use as a hospital and convalescent home for veterans. The Rena McLean Memorial Hospital was built on the east side of the house, and remained open from 1917 to 1920. Several aerial photographs chart the development of the park in the 20th century. A photograph from 1935 shows the presence of recreational courts and facilities within the park, although some facilities do not appear yet such as the baseball diamond and the swimming pool. By 1958, one of the ponds appears to have been in-filled and the swimming facilities in that area appears to have been constructed. Photographs shows an increase in development within the park, presumably focused on the addition of recreational facilities. Development in the park continues to 1974, when Government Pond was partially filled and covered with a parking lot. An increase in visible landscaping is noted in the form of new trees/shrubs found lining some of the roads. The area to the north of Government House has been increasingly developed and the buildings noted in the 1935 aerial photograph no longer appear to be standing. 24
Final Report • June 2013 VICTORIA PARK COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN Situational Analysis Charlottetown has some truly unique characteristics that require consideration as the City contemplates recreational and park and open space planning in Victoria Park for today and the future. Like many smaller communities across Canada, and a feature more pronounced in communities throughout Atlantic Canada, Prince Edward Island, and Charlottetown specifically have aging populations that will soon peak and begin to decline shortly after peaking. Neither projected net migration nor natural regeneration of population will forestall the population decline that will be accompanied by an increasing average age. This trend has implications for recreation planning for the existing Charlottetown community. Older age cohorts have very different recreational needs than their younger counterparts. For example, families with young children tend to demand more organized sporting opportunities, and the facilities required to host these opportunities, as opposed to older adults who tend to focus on less formal or more self-directed fitness opportunities and recreation such as walking or running. As older cohorts continue to age, however, trails that had been used for walking must be able to accommodate those with mobility issues. Flexibility and adaptability of park spaces and facilities will become more important in the context of an aging demographic with evolving needs. Each year Charlottetown (and PEI) witnesses a seasonal growth in population of up to eight times the permanent population, mainly during the summer months. Although recreation and park planning should focus specifically on the taxpaying community that supports the investment, Victoria Park is without question an attraction to visitors as well as residents. Seasonal and short-term visitors are more likely to enjoy open spaces that are accessible throughout the day, and offer use options that require no advanced planning or registration. More recently there have been a number of programs designed to attract retirees back to PEI, a strategy shared in common with other Atlantic Provinces, and one advanced by both the private sector as well as economic development agencies throughout the region. The pitch focuses on the relatively inexpensive real estate, low cost of living, considerable natural beauty, and highquality of life that the Maritimes offer, and is directed at both newcomers and former residents. In a global economy where people can literally live and work anywhere in the world, often a community’s competitive currency includes the elements that comprise the quality of life. The quality and the flexibility of park and open space is an important part of the equation when it comes to newcomer attraction and retention. 25
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