Newmarket to create rain-themed park to provide public space, flood relief

Proposal includes a wetland, fountains, rain theatre, rain symphony instruments

Yorkregion.com
March 15, 2019
Teresa Latchford

Newmarket’s future rain-themed park has been a unique project that could benefit nearby residents and the entire community.

In 2014, the town began investigating flooding in the Wayne Drive and Waratah Avenue area, which concluded with a number of recommendations, including the construction of a stormwater management facility within Philmore Hamilton Park on the southwest corner of Wayne and Howard Road, which currently sits empty.

The town’s engineering department has teamed up with the recreation and culture department, and they have committed to a “co-creation” design approach to add a creative design of programmable space for social and recreational purposes while solving drainage issues in the area.

The concept design for the park was recently unveiled at the town’s iWonder event, which invited residents to experience five activity stations and provide feedback.

The proposal includes a wetland, fountains, rain theatre, rain symphony instruments, loose tables and chairs for events, seating throughout, rain theatre stage, a meadow for programmable space and a playground, as well as features supporting water drainage, all connected with trails and a boardwalk. Much of the existing vegetation will remain.

An innovative design required a unique approach to collecting feedback, according to engineering services director Rachel Prudhomme.

“If you ask people straight up what they want, they think practical, like benches,” she said. “This taps more into emotions than tangible things.”

At the event, Callum Cammaert, 7, stuck his tongue in a container, feeling around for green Jell-O. Twin sister Addie shone an ultraviolet light on what looked like a fat Popsicle stick (balsam wood). She read the previously invisible ink that said “rain is cool, rain is awesome” written in green.

The seven-year-old siblings joined their neighbour Isla Woodard, also 7, and their mother Jayme, at Newmarket‘s Old Town Hall, for an unconventional town event held Saturday morning.

The official event: An iWonder public information centre for the proposed Philmore Hamilton Park.

The unofficial event: An exploration of all things rain.

Five interactive stations helped participants visualize what’s planned. Drawings and designs showcased the park’s future, including the proposed rain theatre.

The event also included rainstick tubes filled with rice, beans, crystals and thumbtacks. Children decorated these with paint, stickers and flowers. At the bubble station, children could blow coloured “rain solution” on canvas.

Children could also take water cans and pour water over different surfaces to hear the sound it makes.

The “rain room” was dark. Man-made rain clouds had lines of beads hanging down, which sounded like rain when jostled. The room smelled like dirt or fresh soil.

At least 130 people experienced this simulated rain event Saturday.

When Callum discovered the alcohol-free Jell-O shots, it was at the “rain bar,” which included food like melon or Jell-O, largely comprised of water.

Hilary Van Welter, CEO of Ascentia, helped organize the town event and helped design the park.

She explained the rationale behind this event: “To bring a splash of spring. We’ve had a hard winter. How can you have something that gives a splash of colour, brings you to a place of hope that it’s going to get better? Spring has a lot of rain, cleansing the earth after winter thaws."

Van Welter said that, rather than creating a stormwater management pond and a park separately, the idea behind the park is to combine the two in a rain-themed park.

Organizers wanted to simulate a rain experience to get people’s creativity flowing, encouraging them to share ideas about the proposed rain-themed park, "to tap into the potential of what’s sitting inside people,” Van Welter said.

“We wanted to give another side of rain; it has many facets. For rain to have a different voice, you must experience it in a different way,” Van Welter said.

Children were welcomed.

“Children get left out of planning activities. The vibe was lively and wonderful,” she said.

People were asked for feedback about the rain-themed park before and after this rain experience at old town hall.

Callum’s favourite part of the event was making a rain stick. He shows off a long orange tube, turning it back and forth but otherwise staying still, intently listening to the shaking of the tube’s insides.

But for Brooklyn Simon, the bubble art was the big draw.

“I made the biggest bubble ever,” the six year old said.

The Newmarket resident said she loved the event.

“I was excited because there were lots of activities. It was amazing,” she said.

She especially loved the purple and red Jell-O, which, she said, popped in her belly, demonstrating by popping her cheek with her finger. Pop!

For more information or to give feedback, go to Newmarket.ca.