By Pepper Parr
April 9th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Revised
Lots of cash poured into the city today.
The federal government dropped $1.9 million while the province added its$1.6 million and the city will contribute $1.3 million for a total of $4.8 million.
We don’t recall any mention of the $1.3 million the city is putting into this being mentioned during the last budget.
Civic Square as it looks today – by the time the redesign is done in 2025 the high rise across the street will have a major impact on the look and feel of the space.
The funds are going to be spent on revitalizing the Civic Square.
A Zoom call was used to make the announcement with talking heads from the federal, provincial and municipal levels chimed in.
The technology didn’t work all that well but the message was clear – Burlington is going to have a much different looking Civic Square starting in 2025.
The plan is to engage with the public in 2023, do the design work in 2024 and put shovels in the ground in 2025
What was a little confusing is that during the Zoom call both MP Karina Gould and Mayor Meed Ward made mention of trees being planted and a new fountain – the existing fountain is to be replaced.
How do those decisions get made without public engagement?
A former Director of Planning once described the building as “iconic”; dated would be a better description
Civic Square was in need of an upgrade. It was not really accessible and the look is dated.
When the talks about how the inside of the ground floor of city hall might get changed mention was made of a much more grand entrance to city hall.
One gets the suspicion that a lot of decisions have already been made.
Let’s wait and see what happens.
Related news stories:
The ground floor of city hall plans.
2019 plans for Civic Square – what happened to them?
The 2018 plans for Civic Square
The granite is attractive as a sculpture. More interesting than some of the projects they’re putting on medians ,etc where it is a distraction.
There is a lot of things the money could be spent on. Each of the projects are equally deserving. I walk over this sterile civic square each day on the way to work. It sickens me. To me it often reminds me of a spiraling sewer. Appropriate perhaps in front of city hall. Money should be spent on improving it but at the least cost. Put in a pergola, Add some mature trees. Park benches and grass with flowers. Lots of flowers. Perhaps $500,000 at most and bank the other 3 million for the rainy days we will surely see in the coming years.
This Council tore apart the plans to redo Civic Square that had a huge amount of public engagement.and very much needed. An accident waiting to happen for elderly and those with walkers or poor sight. In the meantime the Queens 25th Jubilee and King Edward fountain continues to rot away despite our efforts to get it attention for the last two years, sending a message that we have no respect for the last reigning monarch who played an active role in WW2. The whole lot of them are hopefully gone in 2022 and we can have a cboice from those who care about the families and businesses of this tired looking city.rather than their own career plans.
I totally support your conclusions.
Complete waste of money is correct. When was that last fountain put in? During the pandemic as well…..we will remember when election comes around….
Yeah, it seems a waste of (taxpayers) money during these difficult times, when the moneys could/should be spent on more deserving issues by the City. Of course, a hand out to the City by the Federal and Provincial Governments of $ 3.5 milion dollars is always nice, but you know : it’s also taxpayers money !! Renovating City Square can certainly wait, and is not urgent. Where the money could be spend ? Resurface some of our major roads, (and Plains Rd W comes to mind). Just saying……
Ben
What a waste of money! How about helping our small business’ who are on the verge of going bankrupt?
Just remember this waste of money when the next municipal election takes place. This group knows how to spend, spend, spend and tax, tax, tax. What a slap in the face to taxpayers!!!