Downtown Park 'gem' to get some polish over next couple of years

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Bill Hutchins

EMC News - Another Kingston park is in line for a facelift. But it's going to take a couple of years to develop a vision and budget to spruce it up.

City councillors have agreed to come up with a plan to revitalize Douglas R. Fluhrer Park along the inner harbour.

"It's not in the best shape. It's basically grass and a few trees and a couple of broken picnic tables," said Coun. Rob Hutchison, whose King's Town district includes the waterfront park.

"What we want to do is have city staff look at the park and put a plan together to polish up the gem that it is," agreed Cataraqui district councillor Rick Downes.

Fluhrer Park covers 2.8 hectares, plus 650 metres of shoreline, between Metal Craft Marine and the Woolen Mill. The main access to it is along a gravel road that may become the future Wellington Street extension.

"It's one of the few waterfront parks north of Princess Street. It could do with enhancing," Coun. Hutchison explained.

A motion approved at the February 7 council meeting instructs staff to hold public meetings and develop a high-level vision to enhance the park, and report the findings to a city committee in January 2014.

"We agreed to put it off for two years and give staff time to get through some other heavy duty work," Hutchison added.

Parks staff is currently working on a handful of other projects, including multi-million dollar improvements to Lake Ontario Park.

"Both the district councillor (Hutchison) and myself recognize parks staff have a lot on their plate right now. If we wait for a couple of years ... we will come full circle to focus on this park once other priorities are cleared," Downes added.

Several local groups are behind the planned Fluhrer Park enhancements, including Cycle Kingston, Downtown BIA and Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour.

Mary Farrar, president of the newly-formed Inner Harbour group, says Fluhrer's revitalization fits with several council priorities, including protecting and enhancing green spaces. "Let's get together and do the park," she urged councillors.

Ideas to spruce it up include, historic plaques, dog days in the park, bocce ball/shuffleboard, outdoor bake oven, aboriginal ceremonies, plays and an 'official' graffiti wall.

"It's not that the park isn't used. It's used pretty heavily but mostly for dog walking, running and cycling," said Hutchison.

However, the park's long-term vision may collide with another one - the long-proposed Wellington Street extension. Right now, the park has no through-traffic but that could change over time as the city explores another transportation route into the downtown.

Coun. Downes supports the concept of a road extension. "For me, as district councillor for the north end, the Wellington extension is a corridor that will connect Cataraqui district with the downtown."

That apparently puts Downes at odds with his political neighbour. "I personally don't want the extension but this park is important to the neighbourhood and the city anyway," said Hutchison.

Both agree Douglas Fluhrer Park, named 20 years ago in honour of the city's former commissioner of parks and recreation, should be spruced up to attract neighbourhood events.