[scyeg]

Super excited for this to be completed overall.

I do wish we could have had a basketball full-court or two as opposed to the current set up. The triangular manner in which they are currently positioned is just awkward and will make it easier for balls to go out of bounds into other courts. I'm doubtful the designers played much basketball outside of gym class in highschool lol

I agree, it should have been a full court also to give it the ability to host real games, tournaments, etc. Much like the comment about playgrounds above, it's another instance of the city overthinking it and trying to make it "fancy" without considering functionality.

 

[VaultBoy]

Ya I can't believe they presented the full court as an option, then proceeded to just not. Courts are nowhere to be found downtown at all. Can't even have games here like you mentioned

 

[BASE]

As a parent a good playground can be a destination and somewhere that can retain people for a period of time, this ain't it. Have always concurred on the bball courts not having a full court as being a swing and miss.

 

[Gronk!]

Let's see:

• No full basketball court
• A playground area that's worth sweet bugger-all
• No water fountain

I'll be glad when the park is completed, but so far it's shaping up to be disappointing.

 

[Greenspace]

If there's one thing that make me feel like I'm losing my freaking mind it's the playgrounds the city builds.

Those little rubber orbs near the downtown library, the lame spray parks, and all the other misses of playgrounds around the downtown area make me think these people have never been kids.

You want people downtown - build a bad ass park with slides, swings, sand and crazy ass stuff. Not wierd sculptures that you could technically climb on.

Seriously please stop building stuff like this:4
View attachment 666809

To be fair, this is actually artwork. But the RFP to artists required it to allow for child play. It is not really envisioned as traditional playground, as the requirement for artwork was part of the "1% for art" program for the Centennial Plaza renewal. A full playground was never contemplated here.

 

[EdmTrekker]

Should the ETS rename Corona station to whatever is the final name for Warehouse Park?

Does it need to be? I used to drink there before it closed down. As to the Northern Lights ribbon ...I sure hope the poles are vandal proof and can't be climbed.

 

[EdmTrekker]

The obvious solution that also comes with naming rights revenue:

View attachment 666541

It scares me some group appointed by a fractured Council was tasked to name the park. They should have polled the pubic with ranking choice: 1, 2 or 3 from a list of 5-10 names.

 

[EdmTrekker]

Let's see:

• No full basketball court
• A playground area that's worth sweet bugger-all
• No water fountain

I'll be glad when the park is completed, but so far it's shaping up to be disappointing.

I see a lot of concrete and wonder of anything / activity wise will be programmed and offered. I think the "Northern Lights" built into a water fountain and works all seasons using lighting that flows and water during summer would have been the star attraction. As it is ho hum.

 

[thommyjo]

To be fair, this is actually artwork. But the RFP to artists required it to allow for child play. It is not really envisioned as traditional playground, as the requirement for artwork was part of the "1% for art" program for the Centennial Plaza renewal. A full playground was never contemplated here.

Which, TBH, is the problem.

How was a playground NOT contemplated on the plaza connected to our central library??

We have a concrete plaza 1 block north, we don’t need another. We don’t need seating areas around here, there’s plenty nearby and little demand most of the week.

But a destination type play structure? Put a freakin Ferris wheel here tbh. Make this an outdoor extension of our library and the kids area. The city builds amazing kids spaces in so many of our attractions (Telus world or science, fort Ed, zoo, rec centres). Why not do that here, a place we are badly seeking to revitalize and make more vibrant?

 

[Whatup]

So this new park will be given an Indigenous name - this seems to be the latest city council virtue signalling effort to show they are serious about "reconciliation". However, this cannot hide the fact that on things that really impact indigenous rights and respect in our society Edmonton continues to disappoint. The recent Pacey Dumas case makes Edmonton and Alberta look like Alabama. The recent disappearance of Samuel Bird is another embarrassing effort from the EPS. Jodi Calahoo-Stonehouse, the NDP MLA for Edmonton-Rutherford, did not hide her anger.
“Nobody should wait 40 days to have an AMBER alert or a search party for their 14-year-old son,” she said.

If I was indigenous I wouldn't care much about shiny new things in Edmonton being given indigenous names that 97% of the population can't pronounce - I would actually think the well meaning gringos were being stupid and I'd probably get a chuckle out of it. However, the continued institutional racism by important government bodies like the police service - that would make me upset. If Edmonton and Alberta want to get serious about reconciliation they need to start treating indigenous people as equal citizens with equal treatment and rights. Giving public spaces indigenous names doesn't really get to the root of the problem.

 

[thommyjo]

So this new park will be given an Indigenous name - this seems to be the latest city council virtue signalling effort to show they are serious about "reconciliation". However, this cannot hide the fact that on things that really impact indigenous rights and respect in our society Edmonton continues to disappoint. The recent Pacey Dumas case makes Edmonton and Alberta look like Alabama. The recent disappearance of Samuel Bird is another embarrassing effort from the EPS. Jodi Calahoo-Stonehouse, the NDP MLA for Edmonton-Rutherford, did not hide her anger.
“Nobody should wait 40 days to have an AMBER alert or a search party for their 14-year-old son,” she said.

If I was indigenous I wouldn't care much about shiny new things in Edmonton being given indigenous names that 97% of the population can't pronounce - I would actually think the well meaning gringos were being stupid and I'd probably get a chuckle out of it. However, the continued institutional racism by important government bodies like the police service - that would make me upset. If Edmonton and Alberta want to get serious about reconciliation they need to start treating indigenous people as equal citizens with equal treatment and rights. Giving public spaces indigenous names doesn't really get to the root of the problem.

The park is simply being named after the Ward. And out of all the ward names, this is one of the most easily pronounced ones. I wouldn’t read into it too much.

Most will likely refer to it as “the downtown park” or some short hand the same way most of us don’t call all parks/playgrounds their official names. Lots of neighborhood parks are “Anne G. Jameson Park” or whatever, but you just say “the playground” if you live there or “the (neighbourhood) park”.

 

[yeggator]

I wouldn’t read into it too much.

This needs to be said more often on these forums.

 

[Greenspace]

Pavillion

Dog off leash

 

[Seamusmuldrew]

indigenous names that 97% of the population can't pronounce

I get you’re speaking more broadly but since you’re in this thread, are you saying 97% of people are that stupid? The spelling of O-day’min is far more intuitive for an English speaker than Keswick, Desrochers, Griesbach, Hawrelak, etc.

Plus, whatever movement or lack thereof Indigenous place names create in the reconciliation process, whining about the place names actively undermines it.

 

[EdmTrekker]

I have forgotten … what is the new name for the former Oliver community?