Park intended for enjoyment, not for visitors’ education
A proposal to designate Beacon Hill Park as a heritage site goes against the intended use of the park, reader says. The park is home to hundreds of birds and is visited regularly by thousands of people from around the region.
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There is a plan underway at City Hall to make Beacon Hill Park a heritage site.
The first project going to Victoria for approval is to renovate the Victorian-style bandshell and make it a “useful resource,” namely for an information centre.
Proposed renovations include increasing the footprint (making it larger) and replacing some surrounding grass. This helps to preserve heritage values? No, it raises a spectre of yet more signs and monuments littering the park as a consequence.
I go there to refresh, be rejuvenated and enjoy the scenic beauty. I don’t want a tourist-attraction type of park with signs that detract from a pure park experience nor be forcibly educated with identifying markers. Books, libraries, museums, archives, schools, the Internet and city pamphlets supply educational information. It is a personal choice.
Time was when one could stroll through without noticing signs. Now there are too many. The well-advertised herons left; perhaps they don’t appreciate being a peep show attraction, but the heron signs were not removed.
A precedent-setting plaque adjacent to the water can records names of commercial donors, a form of advertising.
The park would benefit visually by posting an overall sign at the entrances instead of individually within the park itself.
Betty Gibbens
Victoria
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