Pickering wants federal funding for COVID-19 memorial public art at Esplanade Park
Published October 26, 2021 at 2:11 pm
Pickering has applied to the Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF) for funding to help with improvements at Esplanade Park, including a COVID-19 Memorial public art piece.
The City is looking for 75 per cent funding for the $340,500 project, which is expected to “re-invent” the downtown park with the COVID memorial, as well as “playable” public art in the form of permanent outdoor musical instruments to create a sense of “mindfulness, meditation and music” space for residents to enjoy, in response to the impact of the virus on the community.
The remaining $85,125 in funding needed to complete the project would come from the public art reserve ($55,125) and property taxes ($30,000).
Staff will also create more green infrastructure with enhanced landscaping, plantings and expansion of the pollinator gardens in Esplanade Park, as well as increased accessibility of the park with lighting, seating and electrical upgrades.
The CCRF aims to help communities across Canada build and improve community infrastructure projects so they can rebound from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, assist with community vitality, support social and economic cohesion and help reanimate communities.
The fund is expected to deliver $500 million over two years on community infrastructure projects, with $144.7 million going directly to municipalities in Southern Ontario.
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Pickering submitted its application in July and was told last month they were still being considered and to confirm the city’s commitment to their 25 per cent funding share.
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