Community Foundation Park Not Really A Park
Prince George, B.C. – The sign reads “Prince George Community Foundation Park”, but the site is neither belonging to the Community foundation, nor is it actually a park.
The piece of property is zoned C1 commercial, and it lies on the north side of the Four Season’s Pool.
The Community Foundation would like to upgrade the site including adding a statue of Rick Hansen alongside the existing statue of Terry Fox as the two did take part in the Prince George to Boston Marathon’s before launching their individual fundraising efforts.
The Foundation would like to have the site either signed over to the Community Foundation, or leased to the Foundation for 99 years.
But Councillor Brian Skakun says there needs to be a property assessment citing the current C1 zoning, it could have significant value. He noted there is also a need to know what’s going to happen to Fire Hall number One, which will need to be upgraded, and the future of the Four Season’s pool is not yet decided.
Council has referred the matter to City Staff to explore the requests and come back with further information.
Comments
“Community Foundation Park Not Really A Park”
That’s perfect. Because the fountain in the not really a park is not really a fountain.
Parks downtown don’t work. They fill up with beggers and drug dealers.
Posted on Tuesday, January 20, 2015 @ 7:11 AM by lildigger
Parks downtown don’t work. They fill up with beggers and drug dealers.
——————————————————————————-
All right lildigger … For a moment, let’s accept your statement. Next question … Where will the beggers and drug dealers go if there are no parks downtown? … Perhaps you are inviting them into your backyard? … Didn’t think so.
The fact that the downtown parks may attract the ‘beggers and drug dealers’ speaks to other issues … perhaps a lack of effective assistance or perhaps enforcement depending on your perspective. Or is the real issue here that perhaps we are collectively in denial and don’t want to be reminded that a significant portion of our society live outside the mainstream. Seeing these folks in parks makes them visible again.
However, at the end of the day, parks do not create beggers or drug dealers.
Well back in the heydays of Four Seasons and less drug dealers in that area, the fountain was a nice sight to see. No point in signing it over if the piece of property can house a much larger structure to benefit the city. But what could be built there?
the following comment was submitted to 250news for posting
Let’s see the City pour the coals to cleaning up what we have, before giving stuff away and losing control over it. They can start with tearing down the laundry-mat across from the court house. Here is the reality of things in the development world. Developers like vacant lots, cheaper to develop and they don’t have to worry about land remediation. A vacant lot is over all safer than a lot with some abandoned old build that poses all sorts of hazards to workers and the public.
This is why it appears that Prince George does it’s urban renewal by fire, cheaper, quicker and the problem is removed. I don’t agree with the logic but the methodology works*(*in theory). As for the junkies, hookers, dealers and other lower life forms, that’s a policing issue. We have more than enough outreach services to look after them all, but it appears they don’t do a whole lot of “out reach” for the federal and provincial money they get. Bottom line it’s the rate payers* (*Tax Payers) that need to stir the pot and complain in order to see changes is the city. So pick up the phone and whine to council and the new Mayor (I understand he actually takes calls from residents, which in it’s self is a big change right there).
But we need to clean up what we have before allowing more stuff to be done without any real fore sight or planning involved ( every one knows our planning department could plan a 5 year old’s birthday party let alone the city development).
Comments for this article are closed.