When it’s finished – and hopes are that will come to pass in September – Barrie’s new Military Heritage Park will serve as a tribute to the men and women who served Canada over the last 150 years, and present the perception of peace those soldiers, sailors and pilots fought to build and maintain.
Construction began last week on the south shore of Kempenfelt Bay on the passive parkland development recognizing Barrie’s military history and ongoing relationships with CFB Borden.
City Parks Supervisor Walter Fischer tells BarrieToday he’s avidly looking forward to seeing the park become a reality.
“It will uniquely pay homage to our military history through the landscape architecture. I imagine this will be a place for learning and reflection.”
Located about halfway between Tiffin Street and Minet’s Point on Lakeshore Drive, the Military Heritage Park will reflect Barrie’s military history, and its relationship with CFB Borden, through the creation of landforms that symbolically reference where military campaigns were held.
Reminders of Canada’s military history are fresh, considering the outpouring of patriotism seen last April with the centennial of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and yearly commemorations of the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War.
Fischer couldn’t say whether the park would bolster Barrie’s image as a military centre – given its proximity to Base Borden – or whether the site could be used in the future as a kind of gathering place to mourn those lost whenever that peace is shattered, such as following terrorist attacks around the globe.
“The park does contain a ceremonial ‘grass’ square that could be used in the event of some unfortunate event,” Fischer says. “However, the park itself is not identified as a memorial site like our cenotaph is within Memorial Square-Meridian Place.”
The park will be divided into a series of passive landscapes that will act as a self-guided, educational experience. News releases also point to the park’s decorative panels and future interpretative signage and art installations which allow the park to be integrated into the city’s new Heritage Trail system.
The park has been almost four years in the making, the site having been dedicated in the fall of 2013 by Princess Anne. While the park’s proposed September opening will obviously miss Canada Day, the project is being completed in cooperation with the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program as well as partnerships with Barrie Rotary Club and CFB Borden.
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