LEGACY IN JEOPARDY
City officials say the inscribed bricks in Calgary’s Olympic Plaza are in such bad shape from usage and weathering, they cannot be saved in their present form and will likely have to be replaced.
A Calgary Olympic legacy is barely going to survive three decades.
Bricks lining Olympic Plaza inscribed with the names of donors are in such bad shape they cannot be saved in their present form, according to a city planner.
“They definitely can’t be removed, fixed and replaced,” said Carlie Ferguson, urban strategy lead for the city’s planning department.
“It’s not feasible as they’re in such poor shape through time, weather and usage.”
The Heritage Bricks were purchased by citizens for $19.88 and they were laid during construction in 1987 into walkways in Olympic Plaza, the site of the Olympic medal presentation ceremonies.
The city has been looking at revamping the plaza since about 2007. There is no design plan and, as yet, no funding for redevelopment. But the city went ahead this year asking for public input on existing features and new ideas. More than 2,200 people responded, with many commenting on the importance of the bricks.
“Calgarians are immensely proud of the Olympic legacy and specifically the bricks. We’re well aware of how important they are to citizens so we’re challenging the design team to incorporate them if they can. But I don’t want to handcuff (them) in any way.”
Susan Mak’s family bought one as a tribute to her father, and she was disturbed to learn it will be removed eventually.
“We participated in good faith and those bricks have meaning to those who bought them. My father was not alive for the Olympics in Calgary, but his name is on a brick at Olympic Plaza.”
Ferguson said that once plans for the plaza’s redevelopment are complete, the city may look at using the bricks in some other way, perhaps as a public art project. She also noted there is a book in city hall listing the names of all the donors.
But Mak says that’s not what donors paid for and wondered if citizens would step up again if asked.
“One of the issues with Calgary is everything is new, they save nothing and in the near future there is talk about us participating again in an Olympic event. Why on earth would we spend more of our tax dollars and our support to those who have such disregard for what has passed?”
We participated in good faith and those bricks have meaning to those who bought them.