Spoonman
Active Member
I attended an open house/public consultation yesterday at the Gardiner Museum about proposed renovations to the King Edward VII statue and surrounding area in Queen's Park North. As I'm sure anyone who passes through the area has noticed, the grassy mound at the base of the statue (particularly on the north side around the plaque) is badly eroded, the benches are worn and shabby, and the whole area has a general air of neglect. The proposal involves replacing the mound with a proper granite podium with steps leading up to the statue, new benches, upgrading the pavement and adding a permanent path to the south side (which is currently a dirt path worn down by pedestrian traffic cutting across the slope).
All in all, it appears to be a positive improvement for one of Toronto's preeminent yet neglected urban parks. In attendance was councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam who briefly spoke to the "crowd" (about 20 people consisting of elderly history buffs, urban planning students and UofT officials) saying that she hopes this will be the cornerstone of a larger master plan for the park, including repaving all the paths (especially the treacherous ones in the NE section), better tree/lawn maintenance and perhaps a public art competition that would culminate in several art pieces scattered around the park.
P.S. How embarrassing - I just noticed the typo in the title.
All in all, it appears to be a positive improvement for one of Toronto's preeminent yet neglected urban parks. In attendance was councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam who briefly spoke to the "crowd" (about 20 people consisting of elderly history buffs, urban planning students and UofT officials) saying that she hopes this will be the cornerstone of a larger master plan for the park, including repaving all the paths (especially the treacherous ones in the NE section), better tree/lawn maintenance and perhaps a public art competition that would culminate in several art pieces scattered around the park.
P.S. How embarrassing - I just noticed the typo in the title.
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