When the City of Castlegar decided a few years ago to sell a portion of Brandson Park for a condo development, Genevieve and Barry Jackson were among the skeptical neighbours.
They’ve lived about a block away on 6th Avenue since 1994.
“We have a huge history here because our granddaughters are now in their 30s,” Genevieve says. “They played here when they visited. This was one of the spots that we frequented, of course.”
The city promised it would redesign the remaining park space and sought public input. Barry was among those who responded, although, he says, “it was in a negative manner.”
On Thursday, the Jacksons were in attendance at a low-key grand opening for the re-imagined park. Seeing the finished product, their feelings had changed.
“We miss how it was larger before, but hey, listen, this is nice,” Barry said. “We understand yesterday there was a big crowd of people here using it already, and so that’s what it’s meant to be.”
Initially they couldn’t see the value in sacrificing park space for condos, “but we weren’t looking for a place to live,” Barry said. “So it makes a difference. If you’re out there looking for an apartment, this is a benefit. And one of our friends lives there.”
The park’s opening also had special meaning for city staffer Anne Simonen, who managed the project. Today is her last day before she starts a new job with the City of Nelson.
She said the project saw her “deeply involved in the community, where I spent a lot of time thinking about what people needed, talking to people about what was important to them. To be able to open this with the neighborhood that helped inform this park was really special to me.”
There were two rounds of public engagement. The first asked people what they wanted to see, and the second sought feedback based on actual park concepts. What residents said they wanted was an all-ages playground with seating areas amid a lush, green background. They got it.
Suttle Recreation of Burnaby was the winning bidder on the project, but the design was over the city’s initial budget. The total project cost was $382,000, following a $68,000 increase that came from the city’s share of revenues from hosting the Chances casino.
The final design was approved in November. Construction started early this spring and was finished in about three months. Simonen noted that in addition to the new playground, the park has accessible elements, including a pathway at a low-angle grade and picnic tables that can accommodate wheelchairs.
New trees have been planted but existing mature trees were left standing, which proved their worth during the grand opening, casting shade on a sweltering day.
Interpretive signs tell the history of the park, which was formerly home to the Bob Brandson pool, named after a young man who drowned in the Columbia River in 1958. For many years the pool was home to the Castlegar Aquanauts, who punched above their weight at regional competitions. After an indoor aquatic centre opened in 1990, the pool was filled in and the site became a neighbourhood park.
(Full disclosure: I provided the voiceover for the history of the park that plays when you scan a QR code on the interpretive signs.)
Thursday’s grand opening came just a day after fencing around the site came down, allowing kids and the community at large to get their first up-close look.
