Advocacy
Century Park
Century Park is the area off Hayward Avenue (roughly across from the Georgestown Pub and the Georgestown Bakery). It currently contains a basketball court, two large parking areas and very little green space. This area is desperately in need of a makeover!
The Georgestown Neighbourhood Association (GNA) has been working with the City of St. John’s and the Grand Concourse Authority (GCA) to develop plans for the revitalization of this space.
The focus of Century Park is to create a space which fosters the rich character and diverse needs of the Georgestown community by providing a space for recreation, relaxation, group gatherings, entertaining and creativity. The park is primarily meant to serve nearby residents, many of whom are within walking distance. It is not intended to become a destination park that attracts a lot of driving traffic. The City of St. John’s all ready has several large destination parks such as Bowing Park, Pippy Park and nearby Bannerman Park which attract locals and tourists from all over.
Three concept plans have been developed by the Grand Course Authority (GCA) and submitted to the City. Two of these plans have been presented publicly with comments made and possible changes suggested. The third concept plan is a result of these consultations and feedback.
The basketball court is popular and will remain, but there are some ideas on how other sports could be incorporated into its surface. There will be still be a lot of parking available, the footprint of the parking area will just be reduced to a more reasonable size to release more land for recreational uses.
The area between the courts and parking are to be regraded and turned into a green space with room for playing and relaxation. The details on this vary between the concept plans, but a common theme is the emphasis on informal activities rather than equipment-based play. The nearby Elk’s Park already has an excellent equipment based playground. Also, nearby is Bannerman Park which features a swimming pool and skating rink. Century Park is meant to compliment these areas without duplicating what they offer. Instead Century Park will provide unique amenities such as the basketball court and community garden.
How you can help:
The process of developing these plans has been very slow and there is no money allocated for the actual redevelopment of Century Park. This might be something to mention to any City councilors whom you might meet! Feel free to write your local councillor and the City to encourage them to move forward on this project. Century Park is in Ward 2 of St. John’s.
We welcome your comments on these plans. If you have any ideas, please contact us.
After the recently announced modest budget of $100,000.00 for the refresh of Century Park the GNA has received the most recent draft proposal.
century park 2016
There will likely be a concept plan #4, but we are getting closer to our vision:
Century Park concept 3 details Century Park concept 3 site plan
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Feedback from residents mentioned the garden in concept plan #1 is in an area that is too shady and there is not much green space because of the very large parking area.
Here is an article about Century Park consultations featured in the local newspaper The Overcast: