Residents of Chinatown will have to wait until next spring for their archway, as design details and final funding are still being sorted out, says the Ottawa Chinatown Gateway association.
“Right now, nobody knows for sure,” says Peter Yeung, co-chair of the Gateway association. A symbolic ground-breaking will probably take place by the end of October at Somerset West Street and Cambridge Street, where the gateway will be constructed.
However, actual building may not begin until April or May of 2010, he says.
Construction of the archway was scheduled to begin early this month, but a delay was caused by changes to the design, says Yeung. And without knowing precisely what will be built, it's difficult to know the amount of money needed, he adds.
“Regardless how long it has been, though, we can now see the end result, and we’re very excited about it,” says Katie Ng, the fundraising chair of the Gateway association.
The project is 20 years in the making, but plans firmed up about three years ago, said Ng. The design was then changed when the City of Beijing, Ottawa’s sister city, offered to donate a new blueprint, raw materials, and an architectural engineer.
Originally, the construction cost was estimated at $600,000. With the provincial and federal government each giving $125,000, the rest of the costs were to be covered by community fundraising.
The Gateway association has raised over $200,000, Ng says. A combination of these funds and the donations from Beijing should cover the actual construction. However, there are still fundraising events being organized, continues Ng, because the archway will need maintenance, and the committee wants to further beautify the area.
The gateway is not a way of segregating Chinatown.
“It’s the other way around,” she explains.
With a lion on each side of the street, protecting the entrance, two red pillars will be the border of this archway over Somerset West Street. Intricate green and gold designs in traditional Chinese style will line the top of the arch.
It’s like a door, says Ng. “We want to open that door and have everyone come in and visit.”
Philip Yip, owner of Kowloon Market in Chinatown, understands that there are reasons for the delay, but he is eager to see this archway being built.
The gateway will not only signify our culture, he adds, it will help attract tourism and boost business.
“The sooner, the better,” Yip says.