New East End Park Unveiled

[SteelTown]

Drawings Of New East End Park Unveiled

Ken Mann
5/5/2008

Designs have been unveiled for a massive new park in Hamilton's east end.

The project will result in a new active and passive park on the site of the former Rennie and Brampton Street landfills.

Ward 4 Councillor Sam Merulla says it will include everything from new trails and picnic areas to soccer pitches and a water park feature, along with a pedestrian bridge over the QEW that will link the park to the waterfront.

Plans also call for the construction of a consolidated public works yard on a portion of the former landfill, an addition to the project which has upset some residents.

Brenda Johnson says it's like "trashing the area one more time".

The 23 million dollar project will be paid for with 14 million dollars in provincial funding and nine million that the city collects through water rates.

[SteelTown]

This is desperately needed for the East End, hardly any parks in the East End.

[HAMRetrofit]

It seems depressingly generic at first glance. Perhaps there is more to it than this?

[SteelTown]

'Dumping ground' at Red Hill to get a $9m 'renaissance'

Wade Hemsworth
The Hamilton Spectator
(May 5, 2008)

Green playing fields, a splash pad and natural habitats could soon start taking shape on a blighted patch of land at the lower end of Red Hill Creek.

Today, the city's public works committee is expected to endorse a $9-million plan that would consolidate and beautify a public works yard bracketed by two old dumps in the block that spans Brampton Street and Rennie Street where they meet the western bank of the creek.

The city plan proposes modern administrative and training buildings and a more compact yard that would serve as a better transition between the residential neighbourhood and natural areas along the creek.

"It will really tidy the whole neighbourhood up," said Jim Harnum, the city's senior director of water and waste water. "Right now, that site is a bomb zone. It's just a big mess of concrete and weeds and asphalt."

The plan would dovetail neatly with a $14-million, provincially funded project to improve trails and natural areas along the creek, culminating with a pedestrian bridge over the QEW to connect East Hamilton to its waterfront.

Councillor Sam Merulla, whose Ward 4 takes in the land in question, describes the combined project as an emblem of the "renaissance" blossoming in east Hamilton.

Merulla said he has been fighting for the Rennie project since he was first elected in 2001.

"It's something I'm incredibly excited about," he said. "We were literally a dumping ground -- until now."

Construction of the Red Hill Valley Parkway brought about the long-awaited capping of the dumps, an effort that included the removal of 50,000 cubic metres of waste and the creation of a system for stopping up and draining away toxic runoff from the remainder of the landfill.

The new plan will also centralize the city's water and wastewater staff and training centre at one site from scattered locations across the city, housing them in a modern, environmentally certified main building.

The plan emerged from consultations between experts from the city and members of the community, including neighbourhood children.

The project is expected to be a boon to a community boxed in by industry, a water treatment plant, the highway and the parkway.

"This is really going to make a huge impact in the neighbourhood," Harnum said. "This is a way to put something useful there and at the same time get the site cleaned up."

[raisethehammer]

I think this is great...why are some neighbours upset??

[flar]

Some people get upset about anything it seems. This area is currently a total wasteland, do they want to preserve the deserted wasteland?

[BCTed]

The park sounds nice, but there is still going to be a dump there. Who wants to live next to a dump?

[flar]

The dumps are old and full and will be capped, ie: covered up and not used anymore. A public works yard will be located there, which is fairly "industrial" but a lot better than a dump, and much less objectionable than many of the other industrial uses in the immediate area.

[raisethehammer]

I agree....this area is heavy industry and this site is a wasteland now. This will be a big improvement. Check out the city's new building at the Woodward Water plant and new recycling centre. Both are nice facilities that will be great if similar buildings are built into this area.

[the dude]

well, until recently, there was a pretty nice park in the east end...not sure how this one will turn out.

on one hand, beautifying that area is an absolute necessity, so bravo to that. on the other hand, i think people are concerned about the air quality of that general area and what impact it could have on children and adults using the park. i'm not sure what the answer is but you can be sure that being at the confluence of the rhvp, the qew and our heavy industry, the air will be thick.

[SteelTown]

Landfill rehabilitation
Plan includes natural habitats

May 06, 2008
Nicole Macintyre
The Hamilton Spectator

After years of living with Hamilton's trash, Zen Matwiyiw feels the city is about to dump on his neighbourhood again.

The north-end resident is unimpressed with the city's plan to consolidate its waterwork operations as part of the redevelopment of the old Rennie and Brampton landfills at the bottom of Red Hill Creek.

Though the city plans to build sports fields, a splash pad, natural habitats and picnic areas on part of the remediated site, Matwiyiw wants the entire area to be a park.

"It's time to give this neighbourhood a break," agrees environmentalist Lynda Lukasik, who urged councillors yesterday to move the public works yard to another spot.

But Councillor Sam Merulla said most residents he's heard from approve of the city's overall plan and are excited for the project.

"The vast majority support it," he advised his colleagues yesterday before they endorsed the plan. It must still be approved by council.

The city plans to spend $9 million to build administrative and training buildings for its water operations on part of the site, in addition to a small public works yard.

The project would allow the city to close yards it has in other parts of the city and save upwards of $20 million over the next two decades.

Jim Harnum, director of water and waste water, said the city explored another site for the public works yard, but it didn't make economic sense.

He said the city plans to install buffers to limit the impact on the surrounding residents.

"We think this project will be a positive impact on the neighbourhood," Harnum said, noting the current site is a wasteland.

"It's an ugly looking site and residents deserve to have something better in their back yards."

The northern part of the site, with the help of $14 million from the province, will be converted into natural areas and trails that will lead to a new pedestrian bridge over the QEW to the waterfront.

[DC83]

This park is a fantastic idea! The picture leaves out some detail though.
I believe they mentioned a splash pad & sports fields. The city seems to love converting landfills to sports parks: Kay Drage (old West-End Dump), Heritage Green Sports Ctr (Mud/1st Rd E) and now Rennie Drump. Great stuff! The more greenspace the better!

This will be a great connection to the Lakefront Trail, and a great boost to the East End's image (and property values). Way to go, East-End (& Merulla, I guess)!

edit: imo, the park should include: a splash pad, soccer fields, outdoor hockey rink (w/ the ability to add ice in the winter... Toronto has tons of these and they're great), a jungle gym AND a skate park (not like the Parkdale one, that one's cheap... but a full-fledged skatepark like Grimsby's).

[fastcarsfreedom]

It certainly isn't a plan without precedent. Kay Drage in the west end beside the 403 also has a landfill pedigree--as long as it's properly and safely executed it's making the best of a less than desirable land-use.