A fitting time to create a park plan

The news that the capital city is applying for funding under the Island Community Fund to upgrade Victoria Park is encouraging, and hopefully the funding will be approved. But what is just as important is the need to develop a long-term master plan for the park.

That was Coun. Rob Lantz's suggestion at a recent council meeting, and it's one that deserves serious attention.

Charlottetown Deputy Mayor Stu MacFadyen said last week that the city is seeking the funding to make upgrades to the pool and playground equipment in the park, and to make the park more wheelchair-friendly. It wants to bring in playground equipment for those who use wheelchairs, for example, and apply material on park grounds that will allow wheelchair users to navigate inside the park.

This objective to make the park accessible to more of its citizens is laudable, and of course the city should make this a priority. But as Coun. Lantz pointed out, discussing these upgrades should remind council of the broader need for a long-term master plan for the park. The City of Halifax, he said, created such a plan for Point Pleasant Park in that city, and Victoria Park merits a similar strategy.

As is often said- to the point it's almost cliché - Victoria Park is a jewel on the Charlottetown waterfront and a long-term plan is essential to ensure it remains just that.

The suggestion of a long-term plan has been made before, but as Mr. Lantz says, with the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference in 2014, drafting a plan that would explain a vision for the park seems like a timely objective. It would fit perfectly with the theme of Confederation. The park was named after Queen Victoria, who gave royal assent to the British North America Act on March 29, 1867. "She signed the documents that made Confederation official. What a wonderful opportunity to give it the care it deserves," Lantz said.

He's right. A long-term plan for this park has always been an appropriate objective, but it's particularly fitting to make this objective a priority as we move closer to 2014.