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If you live anywhere in Greater Winnipeg you are now part owner of the major metro parks —- and of- Rainbow Stage and Assiniboine Park Zoo and Conservatory.Metro took ownership. and control of eight major parks April 1. In future it will be a metro responsibility to provide all parks services of a. metropolitan rather than a local nature.The first immediate effect of the parks takeover is to spread the cost of providing metropolitan parks over the Whole of the metropolitan area.Before April 1 this year' the city of Winnipeg'was paying parks services used by residents of all metro municipalities. Local municipalities had their own local park facilities — as they; still, do — but the heavy costs of providing and maintaining the major parks were all borne by Winnipeg.★ ★ ★WINNIPEG ESTABLISHED,developed and maintained As-sinlboine Park and Kildonan Park. City taxpayers underwrote development of the zoo, if the Assirtiboine Park Conservatory and of Rainbow Stage.In the past 18 months alone the city has spent well over vL00,000 developing the new Westview Park — where Xu-:ura ski enthusiasts will have i substantial training slope within the city.Metro’s first job; then, is to provide for metropolitan distribution of the costs of serving metropolitan parks. Metro, however, is not responsible for providing purely local immunity clubs and the like.Having decided which parks ;o take initially, metro council found itself faced with a substantial amount of urgently-needed work in the newest metro responsibilities.★ ★ ★SINCE THE provincial royal commission on urban government — the Greater Winnipeg Investigating Commission — A/as appointed in 1955, it hasWithin The Metro Areabeen dear that some form of metropolitan organization'was likely, in time, to assume, responsibility for major paries. Faced with this probability, and. squeezed by mounting costs of municipal services in other fields, Winnipeg has avoided most non-essential park improvement costs for the past several years.The direct result of this- policy has been deterioration of many facilities to the point where they require immediate renovation or renewal.Best known example 'is the backstage situation at Rainbow Stage, where casts of 100 and more have had only two sinks and toilets and two tiny dressing rooms. At Assini-boine Park Zoo, the concession stand has housed more rats than candy bars in recent years — and fencing 'round some animal enclosures is badly dilapidated.These conditions have left metro to wrestle with a substantial list of immediate capital improvements needed atmajor parks. Rainbow Stage? must either be improved or it will be padlocked by health authorities, zoo fencing must be replaced to protect the animals, more adequate parking must be provided at the zoo or nearly-1,000,000 visitors expected annually in the next few years will find their entertainment elsewhere.'-ansji the crowd were singularly silentJust then, the scholarly ooking gentleman on my right emitted a long shuddering ngh. I know its rude to stare, ut Fm sure he wasn't even iware at my existence. By the ook on his face, I'm sure he :ould have supplied the answer to our question — presuming he could put it Into vords.a-★ ★ ★MOVE ALONG, move alongiow! the guard said. There’s thers waiting. You can't stop lere all day you know/'As the crowd inched reluct-rntly along to the right, the wo young females slid into ny vantage point and stood irm.“I promised the folks in Denver I'd take a real good ook, the red headed one said,and I intend to do it. I paid ny admission didn't I?Carried along with tile irowd, I too took one last ong look at the woman be-iind the red velvet ropes; the ather plain woman who was io longer young, with the nagnifice.nt hair and the overjump arms. The hands still ay delicately folded: the genie smile still'gave the lie to hose veiled eyes.Near her was a small bronze laque, “La Gioeonda,” the ign read ... painted by Leon-rdo da Vinci.'Ac Ac AcWITHIN TWO WEEKS o ftaking the parks metro council had initiated action tc Improve the worst conditions. It’s hoped ali urgent requirements at Rainbow Stage will be met in time for this year's outdoor productions, and metro council has approved borrowing to finance the essential first - year improvements at the zoo.Development of WestviewPark will be completed thisyear, and a restroom and concession building will be perched atop the artificial mountain.In the forseeable future me-. tro will have Winnipeg parks board employees maintain the metropolitan parks — at metro expense. As in the case of metro streets maintenance, existing municipal staffs will be used to prevent creation of duplicated, competing staffs and provide continuing employment while using the experience and skills of trained people.★ Ar AcWHAT ABOUT the future of metropolitan parks? Parks committee chairman Councillor Jack Willis lists several responsibilities for future action:# Development of major parks to serve the whole area— such as Kildonan and Assi-niboine Parks.# Protection and further development of public river-bank beauty spots, parks and drives.# Creation of a green belt” around metropolitan Winnipeg.+ Development of natural park areas.# Integration of park facilities with future building developments throughout the area.# Protection of existing park lands from commercial or housing developments.■ With the basic metropolitan parks now its responsibility, council has ordered a survey of other parks whichshould become metro properties. This survey is likely to point out the need to take over riverbank properties, posParks are for citizens of ail ages. Here two 80-year-otds play a game on an outdoor checker hoard*BY WARNER TR0YERsibly including some privately-owned properties, to ensure future developments along city rivers which will benefit the whole, area.The report will also almost certainly note existing but undeveloped park propertieswhich should be taken by metro to avoid the danger of being sold for some use other than that of parks development.★ ★ ★METRO’S PLANNING division 'will work closely with park administrators in all phases of development work— and especially in developing a ( green belt around Greater | Winnipeg. With, the hugeblocks of rural property lying within Use perimeter highway, metro should easily be able to establish a natural green belt around the city.Much of this periphery land is laced with streams and covered with brush — ideal property for really natural” parks — where city dwellers can take walks in the woods or canoe trips on lazy summer afternoons — and where city children can see Manitoba plants and animals in their natural state.“As the city area grows the need for natural parkland, where city kids can walk, hike and camp is an ever-pressing problem,” says Councillor WtlLis. Indications are that he will receive unanimous support for development and protection of these natural areas from his metro council colleagues.★ ★ ★IX ADDITION to creating new park facilities metro is anxious to make the fullest use of existing parks. Year-round attendance at city parks is an early goal — and Westview Park’s ski and toboggan slopes will be a first step in this direction.In time the zoo maj' become a 12-month attraction. Before metro embarks on the existing major development plans for the zoo it’s likely one indoor ex'hibit will be established ■ as a test of public interest in an all-weather display. If the first steps are given public support and approval, a 10-year development plan will almost certainly follow — with construction of several buildings, each housing creatures from a different part of the globe.Winnipeg’s climate creates special problems in zoo exhibits, but future buildings may well house everything from seals and penguins to j spider monkeys and zebras.★ ★ ★AS WE’VE NOTED in dis-i cussing other metro services,! the unique integration of highly • specialized services under metro provides an extra bonus of efficiency in planning parks.Where little or no liaison existed before, metro can now tie together town planning, traffic and transit, water and j waste, when planning parks | and zoo exhibits. Highly-skilled metro traffic engineers, town planners, water and sanitary- engineers, finance experts — all are easily and immediately available for consultation.Zoo developers will consider easy access for motorists, town plan ne re will help design attractive walks through zoo and park properties, wafer and waste experts willhelp service zoo buildings andavoid the unpleasant aromas that can turn a popular zoo into a visitor’s ordeal.We believe we can save thousands of dollars each year by making use of the staff skills available in metro,” says Councillor Willis.Our chief concern is to avoid the need of doing things twice, of starting developments that won’t meet future needs. We have the people and the resources to plan each development in detail —' and we won't-move a stick of lumber or a plant until we know it will serve the whole area for years to come.”With co-operation from metro’s waste and ’ mosquito abatement divisions. Greater Winnipeg rivers should become more and more attractive and accessible in the future; park areas will grow, new facilities will appear year by year. Metro will, in short, be able to work toward one of its most, vital goals — that of making metropolitan Winnipeg a more pleasant and rewarding place to live and work.A
Newspaper Details
Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA
Sat, Apr 29, 1961
Page 23
Full Page
Clipped by
Jay F.
CA 25 Jul 2020
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