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McBurney Park Landscape Renewal Plan
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The following is the Executive Summary of the recommended McBurney Park Landscape Renewal Plan. The full plan can be downloaded in PDF format using the download link at right.
McBurney Park is a well-loved, well-used place in a part of Kingston that is short of public open space. It has been a cemetery before it was a park, and a park for one hundred years. It is almost as old as the city itself. Yet there has been no comprehensive review of its components or its purpose in a very long time. The purpose of this study is to undertake that review.
Spurred by an active and articulate citizens' group, the City has taken McBurney Park as a pilot project for a new relationship between volunteers and the public service. This project is hoped to be the start of a long-term stewardship program that not only makes easier the work of City management and maintenance staff, but also integrates neighbourhood residents into the planning and operation of the Park.
There are limits to what can be done to improve the Park's worn out parts. On the operational side, City funds are limited, staff are spread thin, local residents can only do so much. Vandalism is still a problem. As for the physical setting, mature trees are nearing the end of their life, but are an essential part of the Park's character. Almost all parts of the Park need repair or replacement. Even what is not seen has a profound influence. Burials from the early-tomid- nineteenth century lie near the surface, inhibiting tree planting and the installation of structures or services. And aside from the technical problems burials pose, questions remain as to the best way to memorialize the dead while meeting the needs of the living.
Even so, a remarkable coalition of local people has made it their purpose to improve the Park, through fundraising, special events, and daily use and care. They see a bright future for this place.
It is in this complex, yet hopeful context that the current study has proceeded. The study team worked closely with City staff and members of the McBurney Park Neighbourhood Association. Workshops with these people helped shape the study and explore design options. The final design is a distillation of comments made in a community open house, held in the Park on a sunny Saturday, and of the many responses to the City's questionnaire that filtered in subsequently. It is fair to say that the design is as much the creation of the residents' as it is the study team's.
The recommended design makes modest improvements to the existing setting while providing opportunities for future changes. Basic upgrades include resurfaced paths, new benches and picnic tables, new lights, and augmented planting. Future upgrades can include many things, such as a new washroom hut, a replacement for the wading pool, and improved play structures and play space for children and young adults. In all cases, the changes support and enhance activities that local resident's value, and inhibit those they don't. The study team is confident that the plan will function well and will be an efficient and effective use of municipal funds. If so, then the Park will continue to be a key asset to its neighbourhood and to the city as a whole.
