This is the opinion / letter to the editor I wrote to The Woodstock Sentinel-Review after attending a public meeting last week asking for opinions about possible solutions and long-terms plans from concerned citizens after AECOM consulting presented its many options.
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Is it time for a major facelift to Southside Park?
I attended a public meeting last week dealing with long-term plans and proposals for Southside Park and its Cedar Creek.
The jewel of Woodstock’s parks is now more than 100 years old and the dams and other controlled waterway features are likely more than 80 years old. This jewel may need a polish.
Is it time for a 2012 solution – a complete environmental assessment -- to water control and quality? It would not be the intent to create water with the pristine potability of a spring-fed brook in a secluded part of northern Ontario, but rather to simply improve the Cedar Creek and its pond in Southside Park. There are many culprits to water quality, including downstream farms, golf courses, pollution seeping from roads (the stream does run under the 401), and naturally rain.
The public meeting posted several possibilities as presented by environment consultants AECOM. The display featured as many as 25 placards on easels -- all depicting ideas or options at an open forum held on the second floor of the Woodstock museum.
One proposal removes the island in the pond, while another idea eliminates the pond completely to create only a river through the park, and another keeps the pond as a storm-water management (SWM) feature to fill into this new (proposed) river only during high water times.
Another suggestion was to construct an underwater dam (below usual water levels) about one-third of the way into the pond. The function of this dam – it would appear -- would be to make future dredging (and more often) easier as excavation would only be needed in this south section of the pond. This so-called 'digging out' of silt and contamination (Dirt removed would not be suitable topsoil) would require lowering the water level for a required length of time.
Certainly lots of ideas. I believe, something nearing status quo is a good bet, but with some serious dredging to remove silt built up over the past 20 years since the previous excavation. The underwater dam, as I describe it, may allow for better monitoring.
AECOM, which is a worldwide company, but with offices based in Kitchener and London, obviously has a lot of background dealing with both the Grand River and Thames River systems in densely populated areas, and is the firm conducting the study for the City. Input from the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) also assists in the process, and that agency may have the most say at the end of the day. City Council in Woodstock will, of course, have final decision on dredging the pond, adding dams and bridges, or removing dams and bridges.
With municipal budgets part of the bottom line, taxpayers are interested in the updates, especially a couple I talked to who reside on the border of the park on South Street.
Water quality is the main issue.
The corollary issue is the creek itself as it eventually leaves Southside Park near the intersection of Finkle and Henry streets, and continues to flow along Park Row and McIntosh Park (across street), . . . across the street from the bowling alley . . . and toward Ingersoll (Beachville Road) Road and then reaching the Thames. Inside the park, it would appear the creek’s stone retaining walls are due for renewal, renovation or replacement.
Southside Park is integral to Woodstock, whether it be for picnics in a pavilion, leisurely walks, swings and slides, sledding on snow, splash pads or pools, lawn bowls, ball diamonds, cricket, the skateboard park, or the annual Victoria Day Weekend midway or August Cowapolooza music fest.
The park's history includes the removal of dozens of trees after/during the 1979 tornado.
Southside's present and past is recognized by the recently re-built First World War Memorial archway (originally dedicated around 1925) on Old Wellington Street.
The park's heritage also includes a small zoo, bicycle races, soapbox derbies and outdoor concerts for all music genres.
Some things never change. Water quality has seemingly always been an issue as the '100 Years Of Southside Park' publication from the City in 2009 noted when the park was originally established: “Cedar Creek . . . Its water was blackish and smelled – many said because of a local tannery located upstream. . .”
Times don’t really change, do they?
However, from the same City park centennial publication, a later Mayor, Benjamin Parker, would say: “The Board of Park Management has done splendid service in transforming a swamp into the beautiful Southside Park.”
I'm not an engineer or an arborist or even a canoeist, but as chair of the Woodstock Recreation Advisory Committee, I firmly believe the direction this creek takes (pun intended) is an important issue to follow locally.
Consultants I talked to from AECOM said the report depicted at last week's meeting would be posted on www.city.woodstock.on.ca. It’s now there. From the City’s home page, see: Cedar Creek / Southside Pond PIC 2.
Mark Schadenberg
Woodstock
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