HALIFAX’S Point Pleasant is one of Canada’s great urban parks – evolving, over two and a half centuries, from the site of Mi’kmaq spiritualism and the harbour’s defensive batteries to what is now the closest thing Nova Scotia has to Montreal’s Mount Royal or New York’s Central Park.
But it was only five years ago, long after its forts had become picturesque ruins, that Point Pleasant survived its greatest battle, taking the full brunt of hurricane Juan in September 2003, and losing three-quarters of its trees as casualties.
In the years since, storm debris has been cleaned up, thousands of seedlings planted and new growth of young hardwoods, ferns, groundcovers and grasses have softened the wounded landscape. The park is a pleasant place to walk again, with new vistas to the sea that hadn’t been seen since British regulars last cleared the sightlines for their gun emplacements.
For all this welcome natural regeneration, we’re only now getting to the nub of what Point Pleasant’s human stewards, the people of Halifax, Nova Scotia and Canada, must do to keep this place a cultural and recreational treasure for the future.
Last month, the winners of a national design competition, Ekistics Planning and Design of Dartmouth and NIP Paysages of Montreal, released their draft comprehensive plan for the park – a long-term restoration that will not only heal its Juan-ravaged forest, but also preserve its crumbling forts, recognize and protect its Mi’kmaq sites, reduce erosion caused by the sea and poor drainage, improve the pathways and disabled access, and integrate the park with a new system of trails for biking and walking along the harbour and throughout the peninsula.
The $10-million, 10-year plan even envisages a $3-million multi-use building on part of the harbourside parking lot, to support swimming and skating, host school tours, and house a restaurant, washrooms and interpretive displays.
But a perusal of the thoughtful design (available at www.pointpleasantpark.ca) shows the focus is wisely not on new bricks and mortar, or drastically changing the magic of the place. The emphasis is clearly on responsibly restoring its natural and historic assets for the future and providing some well-designed trails, benches, entrances and other infrastructure worthy of the park’s beauty and heritage.
The plan still needs approval from HRM council, which ought to give it the green light this fall. The city, however, shouldn’t have to foot the bill alone. Parks Canada, which owns the park and is responsible for the historic sites, has a large role to play. And the province should be involved in a project of such significance to Nova Scotia’s heritage.
Peter Bigelow, the city’s property planning manager, thinks private funding could be part of the mix – an excellent idea.
The Halifax Public Gardens have undergone a remarkable upgrade thanks to the flood of donations that came from the public after Juan’s devastation. Point Pleasant is sure to have as many friends keen to help with its transformation, whether financially or through the Volunteers in the Park program that the plan envisages as a way of enlisting hands-on help from citizens in stewardship and renewal.
So, let’s get going.
Next summer, when the Point Pleasant heather, first seeded from twigs in the mattresses of Scottish soldiers, has spread a little further, let’s have made some progress on this admirable renewal plan as well.
Original Source : http://thechronicleherald.ca/Editorials/1065285.html
