Toronto Sherbourne Common, Canada's Sugar Beach, and the Water's Edge Promenade | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto | Teeple Architects

k10ery said:
That's really too bad. Also very troubling because I think they used Silva cells there. If all WT is getting for the big pit and big money is more dead trees, then what's the point in doing more of it. Any more details - numbers? photos?
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Parks & Rec has a $300 million state of good repair deficit. Every new park simply adds to the list of poorly-maintained parks.
 
The trees that seem to be having the most difficulty in Sherbourne Common are the American Beech planted along the eastern boundary. Many of them are clearly not doing well. Beech, Oak and Maple are the species planted in the park. Beech and Oak are not as tolerant to air pollution as other species, which makes them a curious choice to plant beside the Lakeshore/ Gardner. You noticed that as you head north and get closer to the Lakeshore, the condition of the trees is worse. Also, Beech and Oak come into leaf later than Maple, so it might be a bit to early in the year to give up on them.

DSC said:
I was in Sherbourne Common the other say and it is sad to see that there are so many dead (or dying) trees - in particular in the northern part. When WT ran the park they were always very fast to replace dead trees, the City has now taken it over and is, I fear, not so active. As an award-winning park that attracts visitors it's too bad to see it deteriorating. It's also a pity that the "water feature" is till not working after its winter shut-down.
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AncientDodger said:
The trees that seem to be having the most difficulty in Sherbourne Common are the American Beech planted along the eastern boundary. Many of them are clearly not doing well. Beech, Oak and Maple are the species planted in the park. Beech and Oak are not as tolerant to air pollution as other species, which makes them a curious choice to plant beside the Lakeshore/ Gardner. You noticed that as you head north and get closer to the Lakeshore, the condition of the trees is worse. Also, Beech and Oak come into leaf later than Maple, so it might be a bit to early in the year to give up on them.
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Yes, that's the worst area but I seem to remember these were the trees planted very late in planting season so they may simply never have had a chance. In any case they (and others) really should be replaced.
 
Driving by on Lake Shore yesterday I didn't see dead trees in SC North - but I didn't stop to look carefully. And the water was on in the fountain thing. So I hope things are getting together in this fantastic park.
 
k10ery said:
Driving by on Lake Shore yesterday I didn't see dead trees in SC North - but I didn't stop to look carefully. And the water was on in the fountain thing. So I hope things are getting together in this fantastic park.
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Yes, Councillor McConnell's office got onto it and the fountain/water feature WAS on yesterday but the trees are still dead - particularly on the east side of the northern part.
 
Why didn't they clean out the water channel and do some basic maintenance, like cleaning the rust that is building up on the metal base? You would think they would at least clean the dirt on the bottom of the channel before they turned on the water. This water feature is only a few years old, it should not be showing signs of neglect this soon. If they don't clean up the rust problem now, it will just deteriorate until this thing looks terrible. That's just basic maintenance, for christ's sake.
 
So why build nice things, if they only stay nice for a few years? How much would it have costed to have one cleaner give the channel a wash and remove the rust starting to form around the edges? After the rust gets really bad, it will certainly cost a lot more to clean up or maybe even replace the stainless steel. I'm calling Pam on tuesday. This is ridiculous, especially since they did the same thing last year and after I complained, I noticed it was cleaned 2 weeks later. I thought they learned their lesson last year but obviously not. It's just common sense to clean it before you turn it on but city hall seems to lack common sense in many regards.
 
Though it could certainly be cleaner I must say that the channel WAS cleaned and scraped of algae last fall. Any litter that blew there over the winter does seem to have been removed BUT it is certainly not sparkling. I think that the upkeep of the water feature and all the associated machinery below the pavilion has actually been contracted out and am not sure if the black 'stuff' is rust or algae. They were looking at some way to have the screens 'self-cleaning but I am not sure how that went - I doubt one could just scrub them or power-wash them as they are very flexible (and not terribly accessible.
 
It's quite pathetic and low class to build these great spaces and let them deteriorate to being nothing special after a few years because of a lack of necessary maintenance. Sugar Beach is still looking good, but there are a few Muskoka chairs that are missing parts like the backrest or armrest.
 
k10ery said:
That's really too bad. Also very troubling because I think they used Silva cells there. If all WT is getting for the big pit and big money is more dead trees, then what's the point in doing more of it. Any more details - numbers? photos?
Click to expand...

Waterfront Toronto took a warranty walk through Sherbourne Common last week. There were about three dead trees which will be replaced by our contractor. (This total is actually low compared to the normal die off one can expect with new projects.) Please note that the Beech trees along the east side bud later than the maples etc. This may give the initial impression that the trees are dead….but they are not.
 
Awesome! Thanks for the update. New trees can die through no fault of anyone as they don't really enjoy being dug up and transplanted and they go through considerable stress in the first few years. Once they take root and are established, then they are good-to-go and should have a long lifespan.

Thanks again :D
 
As an aside, I love when the forum gets official responses like that. Appreciation to WT for taking the time to clear up the concerns!
 
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