Retired Bank Street furniture may find a hew home on Gladstone Avenue.
Bank Street’s castoffs could become Gladstone Avenue’s treasure if a proposal to recycle old benches that are no longer being used is embraced by the city.
The Dalhousie Community Association suggested recycling the former Bank Street benches and installing them along Gladstone Avenue in a letter to Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes in early September.
The benches are currently stored at a city-owned public works depot near Centretown.
“We saw them sitting there at the storage yard,” says Eric Darwin, president of the Dalhousie Community Association. “I looked at it and I thought, those benches were in use up until last year and they don’t wear out. They need repainting, but why don’t we reuse them and why not let them go to some other neighbourhood?”
The benches have been out of use since 2009, when Bank Street underwent its last streetscaping project and installed new street furniture. There are roughly 30 benches that can be restored, says Gerry LePage, executive director of the Bank Street BIA.
After lobbying the city to install benches along Preston and Somerset streets, the Dalhousie Community Association says putting benches along Gladstone Avenue would be a natural next step.
“One of the streets that comes to mind is Gladstone Avenue because there’s no [business improvement area] and there’s no program to put benches or improve the look and the feel of that street, but it sure could use it,” says Darwin.
LePage says the project is a good idea.
“Any time we can recycle something we do the environment a favour,” says LePage.“What’s old to us is new to them and I think it works out well.”
Holmes says she received the letter and has forwarded Darwin’s proposal to city staff for review. The staff's main concern is whether the cost to refurbish, install and maintain the benches can be included in this year’s budget.City staff is also looking into alternative sources of funding to help offset the city’s costs, she says.
“Whether there is any extra flexibility in the budget to take on these extra benches is the question. We’ll see the budget at the end of October,"says Holmes.
Darwin added the abandoned chrome benches are rusty and in need of cosmetic repair, but appear to be structurally sound. The cost of recycling the furniture should not be a major issue
“If you’ve already got the benches, it’s just a matter of pouring a little square concrete pad on the backside of the sidewalk and plunking down a bench,” says Darwin. “Hopefully (the city) won’t come back with an opaque statement like, ‘it’s too expensive’ or ‘they’re too old.’”
The repainting could provide a good opportunity for a community project, he adds.
Holmes says she would support the project if it’s sustainable.
“The idea is great. Unfortunately it all takes money. Whether we have that money we don’t know yet,” says Holmes.
Jeff Stewart, owner of Pressed, a sandwich bar on Gladstone Avenue, says he would like to see the project move forward.
“I think the businesses along here are changing as well so hopefully there will be more people and crowds spending time walking along here,” says Stewart. “I think that would support a longer term transformation to making Gladstone more of a pedestrian-friendly area.”
He says concerns over loitering should not deter the community. He says people already hang out along Gladstone Avenue and the benches would help improve the atmosphere of the street.
Despite the project’s uncertain future, Darwin remains hopeful. Improvements to the city won’t happen, he says, “unless you try.”