Last February, Nancy Oomen, Senior Executive Assistant to city councillor Mike Feldman (
Ward 10 York Centre), took a call from Goldie Feldman (no relation). An elderly woman, she was looking to make a donation in memory of her parents, something in a park. Oomen suggested a tree, or maybe a bench, but Feldman wanted to do something bigger. Something that cost about $1 million. Oones was floored. "She doesn't even live in the ward," Oomen says, "but she has a real soft spot for Earl Bales Park; she goes to the seniors centre there." As a result of the discussion that followed, Earl Bales is about to get a whole new kind of playground.
The 145-acre park, on the grounds of the old York Downs golf course off Bathurst just south of Sheppard, abuts two community centres: Bloorview Kids Rehab and the Zareinu Educational Centre. Ms Feldman wanted to provide something that would be of use to all the kids who use the park. So after an RFP was put out, the city brought on
MBTW Group, who had an idea for what they're calling a "water play and sensory garden." They completed the design development just before Christmas, and it's set to begin construction in April, with a completion date of August 1.
"It was made very clear to us by the advisory group that they were looking to engage all seven senses," says MBTW architect and project captain Christine Abe, of the group they pulled together including city staff, community members and representatives from the two community centres. "We went, 'Wow, seven? What are the other two?'" Which was when she learned about the kinesthetic and vestibular senses, related to motion and balance, respectively. "We're looking to engage children who are blind, who are deaf, who have autism," Abe says, pointing out the niche or "nest" areas they plan to build in the larger play spaces so that, in her words, autistic children can be "involved in spaces, but also away from spaces."
Though the park has no official name yet, it will likely ultimately be named for Ms Feldman's parents, Morris and Sarah.
Writer: Bert Archer