The Sorauren Park playground, also known as the Charles G. Williams Park, is about to receive a much-needed facelift.
Improvements for the small park, located near Lansdowne Avenue and Dundas Street West, have been the center of planning talks between community groups and city staff for years and now the final concept plan for the Parkdale park has been revealed.
"We all spoke up, and the City of Toronto listened. Three years of community involvement and feedback as well as advocacy by the Friends of Charles G. Williams Park have paid off! A fine example of the importance of citizen engagement in Toronto’s parks," wrote Charles G. Williams Park staff in a statement.
Gord Perks, city councillor for Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park, revealed the details of the park on Tuesday, which includes installing a new playground and splash pad.
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"In December, we held a meeting to collect community feedback and suggestions for the park redesign," said Perks in a statement.
"Parks staff and the consultant shared different options for the new playground and splash pad equipment, and gathered important feedback from the community on design preferences and community needs."
According to the park's website, the improvements include expanding the play area by 35-40%, the addition of a splash pad and a secondary smaller basketball court with a lower hoop, a new play apparatus with swings, slides, and more.
To add another dimension to the all-ages play requests, a ping pong table and bocce court have been included as well as an increased amount of seating for all to enjoy the Park.
Lastly, the addition of a Vimy oak to commemorate the Park’s namesake will provide more shade at the new, safer entrance location and the community has also been granted permission to plant a pollinator garden outside the north fence line to continue helping the initiative to create a pollinator network between the West Toronto Railpath, along Fermanagh and High Park Boulevard, to High Park.
Based on the feedback that was gathered, Perks said the final concept was developed and staff will now begin the process of finding a contractor for the project.
Councillor Gord Perks
