Waterfront boardwalks, an artificial-turf field at Bullen Park and the return of a Japanese teahouse are all possibilities as Esquimalt council continues to assess how to spend the $17 million coming to the municipality for being home to the region’s new sewage-treatment plant. The plant, part of the $765-million sewage-treatment project, is being built at McLoughlin Point.
Esquimalt council has created three general categories into which the money will be allocated — $7 million for waterfront-park improvements, $5 million to improve recreational facilities and public spaces, and $5 million for emergency services and public safety.
“We shortened the list of things that we asked staff to move forward on,” said Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins. “Moving forward means that they will look toward preliminary design work, and from that we’ll get budgets.”
She expects the information will come back to council in June.
One hope is that some projects can be taken on in concert with others, Desjardins said. “We wanted to see if there were synergies between some of the options.”
Municipal staff will consider a Japanese teahouse at Gorge Park. A teahouse built in 1907 was destroyed by people with anti-Japanese sentiments during the Second World War. The teahouse included a dance hall, dining room, games area and merry-go-round.
Desjardins said the park could also be one of the sites for boardwalks, an idea that has been expanded to include pathways and trails.
Action can also be taken in other ways, she said. “We had a fair amount of general discussion around land acquisition to add to waterfront parks.”
Gorge and Saxe Point parks have been talked about as sites for multi-purpose venues and performance stages, while child and youth play areas have been mentioned for some locations.
Desjardins said that dog-related facilities are in the mix, including enclosed dog parks.
In the recreational facilities and public spaces category, added space for the Esquimalt Recreation Centre is being looked at, along with Bullen Park upgrades. Bullen Park could see a number of changes. “It goes everywhere from a turf field to upgrading lights, providing a … track around it, picnic benches,” Desjardins said.
Two things that won’t go forward at Bullen Park are court space and community gardens. “Those fields are particular to sports activities and we just can’t cram anything else into them,” Desjardins said.
Climbing walls have been suggested for both the recreation centre and the Archie Browning Sports Centre.
The emergency services and public-safety category could lead to a complex that includes a new police and fire building at the site of the current one, housing, public space, commercial space and daycare.
Esquimalt was first offered $13 million in amenities for the plant being at McLoughlin Point in 2014, but council ended up rejecting the zoning variances required for it to be built.
The amenities were increased when McLoughlin Point was again chosen by the Capital Regional District, and Desjardins has called the money “trying to make the best of something we didn’t see coming. We didn’t bring this site forward.”
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Links:
Esquimalt Gorge Park: Site of Canada's first Japanese garden and teahouse
Campaign to rebuild Japanese teahouse seeks to right historical wrong
