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Spirit square development to comence 2009
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 by GetawayBC.com
By the end of October 2009, residents of Golden will be looking the spirit square in the eye.
The proposed Sprit Square, to be located by the pedestrian bridge, has gone through approval for the first phase of its development set to begin in June and expected to commence by Oct. 31.
According to the agreement between the Province and the Town of Golden, the first phase of the project will consist of a multi-purpose event plaza with decorative pavers and mosaics, an event stage, a skating rink or water feature, a tourist information kiosk, washrooms, landscaping, public art, pedestrian pathways, interpretative historical signage and other features agreed upon by the parties.
Cleo Corbett, manager of development services and planning, said she is optimistic about the concept that has been designed even with the tight timeframe allotted.
“We have designed the first phase to be very bare bones and flexible and have envisioned portable furniture so that we can see in the first few years how the area is used.”
Corbett explained that the first phase hasn’t been over-planned and that there is nothing so permanent that it can’t be redesigned.
“Phase one is basically trying to frame in and formalize that square area so it feels more like a public plaza. The intent is that this first phase will help us to understand how people use the square.”
Corbett said the designs for phase one include a portable stage that can be relocated if it isn’t working in a particular space.
“We will also be putting mosaics in the square in phase one, so we will be looking to the community for their help in that over the next four months. We’ll be putting on public workshops for that process so that everyone in the community can be a part of this development in some way.”
Corbett explained that the hope is that residents will be able to come back in twenty years and see their work is a part of Golden’s history.
Over the past year, Corbett said the plan has gone through a visioning session, preliminary designs and another open house.
“This will be the final design concept to present back to the public based on the feedback that we have received.”
Funding for the project was provided in part by the B.C. Spirit Squares program through the Ministry of Community Development in the amount of $335,000. More funding was provided from the Resort Municipality Initiative five year expenditure program, in the amount of $600,000. Both are allocated to be spent by the end of 2009.
Corbett encourages people to check out the Spirit Squarer conceptual drawings on the Town of Golden website, www.town.golden.bc.ca and attend the upcoming open house to have a look at the final concept designs.
The Spirit Square open house will be held on Jan. 22 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Dusevic Building, 413 Ninth Ave. North, (Old Sassy’s location). ;