Jack Purcell redevelopment plan due this spring

By Kimberly Shearon

A final concept plan for the redevelopment of Jack Purcell Park is expected to be ready and available to the public by March, according to a city official.

“We’re going to come back with a plan for each park that reflects the consensus we heard at our last meetings,” says Paul Landry, a City of Ottawa senior project manager.

The plan will address recreational needs at Jack Purcell Park. Planners have used other major urban communities such as New York City as models for maximizing green spaces in densely populated areas.

Inner city parks need to use high quality materials that last longer and age well, and Centretown’s “tired looking” Jack Purcell Park is not a good example of that, says Landry.

But improvements to the park’s infrastructure will come with a hefty price tag.

Although an exact figure will not be available until the concept plan is finalized, Landry says using sturdy building materials means the project will need a substantial budget.

“It’ll cost more than it would if this was being done in the suburbs,” he says.

“Even though these are small parks, when it comes to cost estimates for the plans it’s not going to be cheap. [It] will cost several hundred thousand dollars.”

Landry says an official plan and budget will be ready for approval when discussions for the 2008 city budget begin.

Still, the park’s face-lift will not be quite as drastic as once planned.

Improvements to the park’s fencing, lighting and sitting areas are the primary concerns under review. The renovation strategy may also include building new walkways and a basketball court.

“We certainly need more recreational sports facilities,” says Somerset coun. Diane Holmes. “We are a very dense community, pretty much built up and there’s a lack of green space.”

A basketball court at Jack Purcell Park will also give children at Elgin Street Public School, which is adjacent to the park, more space to play.

“The school would like to see it, so we’ll see if we can include that,” says Landry.

“We’re trying to reserve some green space for active children to play and not be overrun by dogs.”

Jack Purcell Park now has separate dog-walk and play areas, but the sub-par fencing between the two sections is a growing concern for parents in the community.

“I’ve seen the proposals and I’m really looking at how they might impact us,” says Bruce Hubbard, the school’s principal. “With the city’s proposal, I think the outlook is very bright.”

Suggestions for the concept plan have also come from the school’s parent community, which has stressed the importance of increasing child-safe green spaces.

“I think the process the city is using is very good,” Hubbard says. “They’re looking for consultation from citizens.”

In the meantime, the school has taken steps to improve its own limited playground space.

“The yard itself is what it is,” says Hubbard.

“It’s a smaller yard than other schools I’ve been at but I think that’s the nature of a school that’s in the inner city.”

With the help of a greening committee made up of staff and parents, the school has cleaned up its front yard, set up an outdoor science centre and repainted its hopscotch and handball squares.

The school is also actively fundraising and seeking grants from the surrounding community. The city and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board have also teamed up to secure more land for park development in the Centretown area.

“We’re working to try and acquire the green space at the old Ottawa Technical high school on Albert Street,” Holmes says. “We’re extremely short on playing fields and have a high demand for soccer and Frisbee fields, and it’s a large enough space to do that.”

But the challenge is not lost on Landry.

“There’s just not much land to buy and it’s always expensive,” he says. “It’s difficult.”