BY DICK MACDONALD
GUEST OPINION
I read with interest the article in Saturdays Guardian stating that Holland College was looking at the Charlottetown Event Grounds as a possible parking lot.
I am a former resident and property owner in Ole Charlottetown and now live in Stratford. I am also a retired senior Holland College manager who at one time spearheaded the drive to acquire the former Canada Packers property for a parking lot and to create Glendenning Hall.
At that time, many of us knew that an auto parkade was the preferred option but time and money was an issue. Since then, the college has grown and acquired the usage of two more parking lots on Grafton St.
The city of Charlottetown, Holland College, CADC, private businesses, the Province of P.E.I. and others have undertaken huge steps in making the eastern end of Grafton St. a dynamic and appealing entrance to the city. Recently, CADC has tabled a long-range plan to further enhance the eastern entrance with a rerouted by pass road, a beach and recreational area incorporating the existing Event Grounds.
The development area would be from near the entrance of the bridge to the Friendly Pharmacy. I applaud this vision and the recognition that it could become the recreational and social heart of the city during the summer/winter months.
With the numerous on-going discussions about the need for more housing for citizenry in Charlottetown and more incentives to draw more people to live in the downtown core: this beach and recreational area could be a part of the answer. It may seem foreign to many Islanders but city beach and recreation areas are common place in many riverfront cities throughout the world.
Then what about Holland College and its parking problem? A parkade on the old Canada Packers parking lot across from Glendenning Hall now warrants more consideration. It will absorb many of the student/staff parking needs and can be connected to the main campus via a pedway.
Plus, it will leave more greenery at the entrance to the city. Money and financing can always be found but beautiful green space and water frontage for recreation is becoming a rare commodity. It is short sighted to pave!
Let’s see all the big players who are interested in making Charlottetown even more beautiful come together and help address the college’s parking problem and make the southeastern entrance to the city the envy of Eastern Canada.
- Dick MacDonald, Stratford, former vice president of Holland College
