A CULTURAL EVENT SPACE
City of Charlottetown hosts public meeting to discuss reinstating Victoria Park bandstand
City of Charlottetown hosts public meeting to discuss reinstating Victoria Park bandstand
The City of Charlottetown is looking to create a new cultural space at Victoria Park.
And on Tuesday night, city officials sought out public opinion from the approximately 25 people who attended a special meeting held at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel to hear comments on the reinstatement of the Victoria Park bandstand.
The venue is not for big concerts, but a place to provide people with social experiences, including cultural events and activities.
“This is basically an effort to provide a permanent location for local talent to be able to play, to be recognized and maybe help them along in their career path in the arts community,” said Mayor Clifford Lee.
The former band shell in the east meadow at Victoria Park (next to Fanningbank, the official residence of the P.E.I. Lieutenant-Governor) was constructed in 1973, but in the mid-1980s, the structure was severally damaged and had to be removed. Since then, the City of Charlottetown has had to rent stages over the years and would now like to have one of its own at Victoria Park.
The conditions, if this project was to move forward, are for the facility to be non-gated, nonticketed and non-alcoholic.
The City of Charlottetown’s vision are to have movie nights in the park, yoga in the park, summer musical series, casual unplugged performances and winter programming.
The proposed bandstand has an open concept with a 20-foot stage and will be facing north in the east meadow. On each side are pillars that provide a changing room, washroom and storage facility for performers. The project, including electrical, water and sewer, will cost $162,000.
For those who spoke, everyone like the idea of a bandstand; however, a number of issues were raised.
One of those was the appearance of the proposed heritage structure. Pam Stewart of Charlottetown said she was not keen on the design.
“Those are ugly things on the corners,” said Stewart. “I think it’s going to cause some blocking of the stage area.”
Stewart also brought up concerns about it being an open concept — the bandstand is visible on all four sides — and how this would affect the acoustics.
Rob Oakie said the location is a natural amphitheatre and suggested putting in removable panels on the open sides of the bandstand so that it can be closed off for concerts.
“I would certainly encourage you to consult with production companies that you know. They do it everyday and give you lots of insights as to what’s not going to work and what will work.”
Wayne Long, events development officer for the city, outlined several factors, including the Victoria Park comprehensive master plan calling for a reinstatement of a cultural event pavilion, community demand for such an asset and to access funding through the ACOA Canada 150 community infrastructure program.