'Back To The River' is name of contest to create vision of forks of the Thames
UTRCA and London Community Foundation also partners in the long-term project
By Mark Schadenberg
The
City of London has always referred to itself as the Forest City, but
with the forks of the Thames River situated in the core and at a
junction featuring both the Ivey Park and Harris Park, long with the
historic baseball Labatt Memorial Park, maybe the focus should have
always been the meandering river and not the trees.
Maybe
– just maybe – forefathers of London had difficulty seeing the
river because of the trees?
London
city hall and 2 main partners (associations) have been conducting a
contest with five finalists designing their crystal ball look at the
future of the Thames River as a focal point in London. The long-term
plan will gradually evolve in a program they call: Back To The River.
Naturally,
in nature there are already many great trails and scenic greenspaces
along the waterway, but there are also many spaces which require a
new 'atmosphere', including the So-Ho area around the previous South
Street hospital, which is just east of Wellington Road, plus there is
also the Ontario Hydro yards which can be seen along Horton just west
of the John Labatt company.
DOWN
THE ROAD
In
my hometown of Woodstock, a foolish mistake was made about 120 years
ago – give or take – when the city's fairgrounds were moved from
Tecumseh Street and the banks of the Thames River to the interior of
the city where it now resides on Nellis Street. Today, this same
riverfront acreage along the same east side of the river is mostly
brownfield with the closing of Thomas Bus, Kelsey-Hayes foundry (Prop
up your environment red flags) and a Standard Tube plant. The
opposite side of the river is cooperation and the way nature is meant
to be with two separate trail loops and lots of trees and snapping
turtles.
(Note:
the Burgess Park trails did receive quite a re-forestation program
after the Ash trees and Manitoba Maples were removed).
LONDON
Getting
back to London, it was on Oct 22 when the 5 finalists were afforded
the opportunity to present their ideas.
The
one drawing which literally leaped off the page for me was to include
a circular bridge which would cross the Thames 3 times in the
vicinity of the forks (Riverside, Ridout, Thames, Horton area).
Back
To The River is truly now the opposite of the thinking of city
founders when the lumber mills and countless other enterprises wanted
to be situated along the river for hydro and transportation. Today,
clean water and the beauty of nature are top priority, so parks and
trails should rule the day. Not all green grass though, as bushes,
brush and reeds and other breeds of foliage are needed for water
purification and sieving.
Back
To The River is most certainly a City Of London adventure as the tax
paying community will be asked to convert many of the possibilities
into realities. At the same time, nothing will happen without the
jurisdiction and applications to the Upper Thames River Conservation
Authority (UTRCA) for its approval, and the dedication and direction
of the London Community Foundation (LCF) association in this process.
Marta
Powell from the LCF described the Thames in a London Free Press story
as a string of pearls. The LCF wants to be a driving force, which is
important as the association, according to The Free Press, has an
endowment fund of about $65million.
The
link to a May LFP clipping, quotes the mayor well: “A river should
be seen as a hidden gem. We’ve turned our back on it for many, many
years,” Matt Brown said. “This provides us with an opportunity to
right this wrong.”
Exciting
times for anyone who visits London on a regular basis and a very
exciting future thinking of all the possibilities for those residing
now near the Thames, which could include a promenade of shops along
the shore, but with a significant buffer of grasses, accessible
trails, gardens and trees.
When
you additionally factor in preserving the nearby so-called Coves as a
protected nature wetland inside the city, you can vision a forever
lifeline for herons and turtles, frogs, snapping turtles and hikers.
The
suggested concepts as seen at the public meeting on Oct. 22 will be
scrutinized by a committee which includes former London mayor Joni
Baechler, along with long-time Thames River conservation authority
manager Don Pearson.
For
Londoners, let the river run your future plans of revitalizing with a
focus on nature.
LINKS:
May 2015 Story:
The Coves:
Mark
Schadenberg, Sales Representative
Senior
Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)
Royal
LePage Triland Realty Brokerage
757
Dundas St, Woodstock
(519)
537-1553, cell or text
Email:
mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter:
markroyallepage
Facebook:
Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
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