For the Community Waterfront Friends (CWF) in North Bay, a dream is turning into a reality. What was once a plan on paper is now appearing on the former rail lands.
“It is quite a vision and it is coming along remarkably well,” said Rod Johnston, chair of the CWF.
About 35 acres of land was acquired by the city in 1999 from CP Rail. The former CP station was renovated and now houses a museum. A pedestrian underpass was constructed to connect the downtown to the waterfront underneath the existing rails.
The CWF, organized in 2000, came up with a multi-phased plan for the area that would turn the land between the downtown and the existing railway tracks into a multi-use park.
“We are only one of 10 cities in the world that has a downtown core, a park and a big body of water,” Johnston said. “The park will be the face of North Bay. The waterfront was the nose and now we are putting in the face.”
The waterfront area, which runs between the shoreline of Lake Nipissing and the railway tracks, has also been redeveloped with the paved Kate Pace Way bike and in-line skate trail, a walkway along the shoreline, the miniature train and two carousels.
“One of the reasons we developed this idea was to rejuvenate the downtown and we can see that starting to happen,” he said.
Oak Street was once a warehouse district due to its location to the rail yards but now houses a variety of boutiques and specialty shops. The sidewalks have been widened in an attempt to attract pedestrian traffic and perhaps some restaurants that can set out patio tables during the summer. The park will not have food concessions so visitors can visit the downtown.
The latest $6-million phase involved landscaping the rail lands and installing the infrastructure such as electrical wires and water pipes. Foundations for a pergola and a clock tower have been installed in front of the former station as part of the plan to create a civic plaza.
“A lighting system will be installed in front of the station with projector-type lamps that will be able to move and shine on the ground and the station, similar to stage lights,” Johnston said.
Lights will also be set into some bricks and they will be individually controlled by computer in order to make patterns.
“We are finishing the front 24 feet of those lights and we will test it out to see if it is OK. It has been used in other areas and if it works, we will do the whole plaza with these lights so it is really going to be quite a show,” he said.
Part of the funding for that phase – $1 million – must be raised by the CWF so it has initiated a pergola campaign. Metal leaves with an engraved name can be purchased for $500 and they will be installed on the structure. As well, a number corresponds with the name and on a website, the name and number can be searched to read a corresponding story.
“We have raised $200,000 so far and we gave the city $100,000 as part of our share. We have about 100 stories so far and we can really learn about some outstanding people and some people who have been incognito but have accomplished amazing things,” Johnston said.
The next projects for the park will be to move one of the carousels from the waterfront to the park and installing a new and longer mini-train line. The train will also consist of four-foot wide cars to allow for handicap accessibility. The new line includes an underpass, which has been constructed under the existing railway tracks.
The amphitheatre is complete and a temporary stage will be installed.
“We are planning to use it this summer for Summer in the Park. The idea is that after using a temporary stage for a few years, we will start to figure out what kind of permanent stage we need. Children's theatre productions are a lot different than what Lady Gaga would need,” he said.
A children's area would include a safety village complete with miniature reproductions of some of the city's historical buildings. Children could ride around the village on electric cars and teach them to make good decisions regarding their safety and the rules of the road.
The village would be used as an attraction in the summer and utilized as an educational area in the spring and fall. A grassy sprial mound will be in the children's area and Johnston said it is currently being used as a toboggan hill.
A pond in front of the station, which will be used for skating in the winter, and an observatory are included in the plans. Picnic gazebos will be available for rent in the summer for family or other events and a heritage gardeners' pavilion, with a year-round greenhouse, will be the final piece.
“Right now we are applying to FedNor to get funding for a business plan to cost out each of the attractions and find out the operating costs of each of them,” Johnston said. “The attractions won't be done all at once and they will be self-sustaining.”
A business plan done in 2001 indicated the park could generate $10 million in tourist spending.
“We were told we wouldn't get money for the underpass and the landscaping but we did. This whole plan is designed to flex and change with the times.
“But if you have a good idea, it can surface and happen,” he said.
