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Home My WebLink AboutEGD-021-11 Claringion REPORT Leading the Way. ENGINEERING SERVICES Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: Monday May 30, 2011 43-16(L.h u�J 6 PA-990- Ii Report#: EGD-021-11 File #: By-law #: Subject: JOSEPH ATKINSON PARK RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT the grounds surrounding the Newcastle Town Hall be named Joseph Atkinson Park; and 2. THAT interested parties be notified of Council's decision Respectfully by, Submitted by: • .;.Cannella, C.E.T. Reviewed by: Franklin Wu, Director of Engineering Services Chief Administrative Officer May 20, 2011 ASC/PW/jo CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 F 905-623-9282 REPORT NO.: EGD-021-11 1.0 BACKGROUND PAGE 2 At the April 4 GPA meeting Council reviewed report EDG-017-11 -Newcastle Memorial Park -Proposal to Rename (attachment 1) and made the following recommendation: THAT report EDG-017-11 be referred back to staff to consider other options; and THAT input be sought from various groups, including the Royal Canadian legion Bowmanville Branch, on the history of Newcastle Memorial Park and dedicating a park to Joseph E. Atkinson. 2.0 ANALYSIS Although there are no records to indicate when and why Newcastle Memorial Park was named. it is generally agreed that it was named to honour war veterans. The Royal Canadian Legion remains adamant that Memorial Park should not be re-named. But they have no objections to naming the grounds around the Newcastle Town Hall after Joseph Atkinson. Municipal staff has since met with the Newcastle and District Historical Society, Newcastle Hall Board, and Clarington Museums and Archives to discuss other potential locations to name after Joseph Atkinson. All groups agree that the grounds around the Newcastle Town Hall would be appropriate since the site does not have an official name, and Atkinson lived just east of the site on King Avenue. There is also an existing Provincial Historical plaque honouring Atkinson at the site. The Newcastle Horticultural Society is currently planning a renovation project for the grounds surrounding the Town Hall which would include the re-location. of the existing Atkinson plaque. Staff has met with members of the Horticultural Society to obtain their input on the proposal to name the grounds "Joseph Atkinson Park". The Horticultural Society's concern is that any proposed park signage should be appropriately designed and located so it will not detract from their renovation of the grounds. The type of sign used to name the park should be keeping with the heritage theme for the grounds. REPORT NO.: EGD-021-11 PAGE 3 There is currently no funding allocated for a sign to name the area after Joseph Atkinson. The estimated cost for an appropriate sign would be $1000-$2000 depending on the sign material, size and design. It could be a sand blasted wood sign, decorative metal sign, or a stone monument style sign. The Horticultural Society has not included a sign in their grounds renovation budget but the Newcastle and District Historical Society will investigate other sources of funding for the sign to officially name it "Joseph Atkinson Park". The proposed sign location and design would be reviewed by all stakeholders prior to construction. 3.0 CONCLUSION Joseph Atkinson was a Newcastle native who rose to national prominence in the newspaper industry and as a social activist. The Atkinson Foundation remains today and x has granted more than $55 million since its inception. The grounds surrounding the Newcastle Hall are a fitting location to name after Joseph Atkinson. The site is close to his childhood home and the Provincial historical plaque placed in his honour. Should Council decide to name the grounds "Joseph Atkinson Park" the site would require a new sign. If an outside source of funding is not found Council could consider the sign in the 2012 budget. Httacnments: i. Attachment 1 - EDGF017-11 -Newcastle Memorial Park -Proposal to Rename Interested parties to be advised of Council's decision: Rick Saunders -The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 178 Myno Van Dyke -Newcastle Village and District Historical Society Martha Rutherford Conrad - Clarington Museums and Archives Peter DeJong-Newcastle Hall Board Jeanie Barrett-Newcastle Horticultural Society ATTACHMENT # _ 10 AEPOHT # ~ / Clar~ngton Leading the W¢y REPORT ENGINEERING SERVICES Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: Monday April 4, 2011 Report #: EGD-017-11 File #: G~ a89' f I By-law #: Subject: NEWCASTLE MEMORIAL PARK -PROPOSAL TO RENAME RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: THAT Newcastle Memorial Park continue to be known by that name;ana 2. THAT all interested parties be notified of Council's decision Respectfully by: ~i~~' Submitted by: .Cannella, C.E.T. Reviewed by: Director of Engineering Services ~a/ ASC/PW/jo March 25, 2011 ranklin Wu, Chief Administrative Officer CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 F 905-623-9282 REPORT NO.: EGD-017-11 PAGE 2 1.0 BACKGROUND 1.1 At the Council meeting of January 17, 2011, Myno Van Dyke of the Newcastle Village and District Historical Society made a presentation to Council and provided correspondence to recommend that Newcastle Memorial Park be re-named to honour Joseph Atkinson. A copy of his correspondence is Attachment 1 of this report. The correspondence describes the early life of Mr. Atkinson who was born and raised in Newcastle and went on to become a leading newspaper publisher and social activist. Mr Atkinson was the editor and majority owner of the Toronto Star from 1899 until his death ih 1948. A Provincial Heritage Plaque honouring Mr. Atkinson is located at King and Mill Street in front of the Newcastle Town Hall. 1.2 Council direction from the presentation was as follows: THAT Correspondence Item D-6 from Myno Van Dyke, Director, Newcastle Village & District Historical Society, with respect to naming the park area surrounding the new library in Newcastle "Joseph Atkinson Park" be referred to staff for follow-up and processing. 2.0 ANALYSIS 2.1 The Clarington Museums and Archives were asked to investigate the original naming of Newcastle Memorial Park. Their findings are summarized in Attachment 2 of this report. They concluded that the park was once the location of a Drill Shed. Drill Sheds were used for the purpose of training local military regiments. While the Museum was unable to locate a document signifying the meaning of the name Newcastle Memorial Park, they believe the intent was to honour local veterans with the park name. 2.2 The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 178 was asked to provide their input on the possible re-naming of Newcastle Memorial Park. Their letter is Attachment 3 of this report. The Legion disagrees with re-naming the park and feel that it was, originally named in honour of veterans and should continue in their memory. REPORT NO.: EGD-017-11 PAGE 3 3.0 CONCLUSION 3.1 Joseph Atkinson was a Newcastle native who rose to national prominence in the newspaper industry and as a social activist. The. Atkinson Foundation remains today and has granted more than $55 million since its inception. The Municipality's policy regarding Memorial Tributes allows for the naming of parks, streets or facilities in honour of Members of the Community at Large or Nationally recognized individuals at Councils discretion (Attachment No. 4). 3.2 While no documentation could be found regarding the naming of Newcastle Memorial Park it is evident that "Memorial Park" has been applied to parks in various communities to honour war veterans. 3.3 New residential development in the Foster Neighbourhood and North Newcastle will result in the development of new schools and Neighbourhood Parks. The Municipality also has an unnamed Community Park site on Rudell Road. So there are certainly future opportunities to name a facility to honour Mr. Atkinson. It is staffs recommendation that a future park in Newcastle be .named ih honour of Joseph E. Atkinson and that the name Newcastle Memorial Park be maintained for the park surrounding the library. Attachments: Attachment 1 -Letter from Newcastle Village and District Historical Society Attachment 2 -Letter from Clarington Museums and Archives Attachment 3 -Letter from The Royal Canadian Legion Attachment 4 -Policy Regarding Memorial Tributes Interested parties to be advised of Council's decision: Rick Saunders -The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 178 Myno Van Dyke -Newcastle Village and District Historical Society Martha Rutherford Conrad -Clarington Museums and Archives I . I i _ J~ ! '~ ~' ~t~l r~l~T~l;~ ~~ . -_.a, f~.., -. REVIEWED BY q! - • ~1 _. --~ _.-: ..__. ORI//GINAL TD: ~_ _ I ~"r ;d``~~ .. p~ ` _ ' f~CUUNCIL ^ COUNCIL ~ ;.iv.'.!_" i'm"• ~'~'+~' - IV~Yr..L 3 iu IJ DIRECTION INfORMAIIps~ _If - - -- COPY TO: .:. - .. ~ '. .. .:.. -. ^ MRYDR ^ MEFARERG ~^ CAO ~ NOVember 15, ZO1O ` a re,, ,3'v DF COUNCIL ^ COMMUNITY ^ CDRP TE ^ EMERGENCY RERNCES SERVI~ayoI~EA~F ster and Members of The Municipality of Clarington Council: ^ ENGINEERIf~G C MUNICIPAL ^ 0°ERATIGNG GERVIC's5 CLERK'S ^ PLANNING ^ SOLIG[IOR ^ TREAS~RY ~-1-~+'_aE~i~.€~ I'1~'I.~P.I I~L~~~ GEAVICES e: Josep .Atkinson Park ^ DT4E~. Roy. ~ ' . MUNICIPAL CLER%'R FILE le Village & District Historical Society sent Council a letter on April 30, 2010 requesting that a street ih Newcastle be named after Joseph E. Atkinson. This was fumed down by the Region of Durham'as there is a duplication issue regarding a similar named street in A}ax. As per recent con-esporidence from the Municipality, it appears that it is not possible to name a street in Newcastle after Mc Atkinson. At a Newcastle Village & District Historical Society Director's Meeting on November 9, 2010, the following motion was -made and passed.- "That a letter be sent to the Municipality of Clarington Council requesting that the parkland immediately surrounding fhe new Clarington Library at 150 King Avenue East be named "Joseph Atkinson Park".°' Prior to the new Library being built on this property, the park was initially called "Jubilee Park" (around 19D0) and later referred to as "Memorial Park". During construction of the new Library, the Memorial Park sign was. removed and it was not placed back on the property. At our Newcastle Village and District Historical Society Archives, we can find no evidence that this area around the library was ever officially called "Memorial Park". We do know that this was the site of the Newcastle Armouries at one time and the public outdoor skating rink. This site was used for many village activities and more recently was the site of a baseball diamond. The baseball diamondq' ~~s removed and now the property has the beautiful new library, a parki: lot to the north, and north of that, two small soccer pitches and a children's ~la~ground. - ATTACHMENT N0.:7 REPORT NO.:- EGD-017.11 Joseph E. Atkinson was born in 1865, in a rented house just east of the Village of Newcastle. Although the home is no longer there it was on the east side of Golf Course Road where the Newcastle Golf Course is today. In 1866, after his father was killed by a train in Newcastle, Joe's mother Hannah moved her family into a house at 44 King Street East, Newcastle. This home is now owned by Jack and Peggy Pruner. Here Mrs. Atkinson ran a boarding house where she took in men who worked at the Newcastle Woollen Mill and the Massey Foundry. Just before Joe's 14~h birthday his mother died and Joe took a job at the Woollen Mill. After the Woollen Mill burned down he took a job at the Post Office as a clerk.. Later he got a job as a clerk at the Port Hope Times. and this began a spectacular career in the newspaper business. The house that Joseph Atkinson grew up in is orily a short walk west of this park. Presently, there is a Provincial Heritage Plaque honouring Mr. Atkinson at the corner of King and Mill Streets in Newcastle. If Council grants this request to name the park area around the library, "Joseph Atkinson Park°, we would also recommend that this plaque be moved to the park. The Newcastle Horticultural Society will soon be undertaking a project to completely redo the gardens around the Newcastle Community Hall and have plans to move the plaque to a slightly different location, In a recent conversation with their President Jeany Barrett, they are in full support of moving the plaque to the park if this takes place. Note: We would be pleased to present this information to Council as a Delegation. R ctfully submitte , ~~/~ Myno V n Dyke, Director, Newcastle Village & District Histo ~ I Society. 905-987-5482 28 February 2011 Municipality of Clazington 40 Temperance Street Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3A6 RE: Newcastle Memorial Pazk At Clarington Museums and Archives, we advocate the preservation of the history of Clazington. With this in mind and due to requests from the public, we undertook research into the naming of Newcastle Memorial Park. Through our research, we verified that there was only one Armoury built in the Municipality of Clazington and it is located in Orono. Other communities, including Newcastle and Bowmanville, built Drill Sheds for the purpose of military training of local regiments. The Drill Sheds, which were a more temporary structure than an Armoury, no longer exist. However, in Bowmanville, Memorial Park was named and dedicated to our World War II Veterans in order to ensure the memory of their sacrifices remained a part of the history of Bowmanville. In Newcastle, the Drill Shed was located on the grounds of the'current day Newcastle Memorial Park. While our Archivist was unable to loca#e a document signifying the meaning of that name, we feel that due to the intent of Memorial Park in Bowmanville and the locaflon of Memorial Park in Newcastle on the former Drill Shed grounds, it is highly likely that this park was named in honour of their Veterans. While Clarington Museums and Archives applauds the efforts of the Newcastle Village and District Historical Society in recognizing the accomplishments of Joseph E. Atkinson along with his affiliation with Newcastle, we respectfully request that this recognition takes place without the removal of an existing historical name. Even though today people may not specifically recall the motive for the naming of a site, we view this as an opportunity to educate our residents on that historical name rather than removing it from the face of our community. Newcastle is a growing community and that growth presents opportunities for recognition through the naming of their new parks, schools and even library. We are requesting that the Municipality employ one of these new opporhmities to recognize Atkinson and allow the history of Newcastle Memorial Park to remain in place. Sincerely, Martha Rutherford Conrad Executive Director .cc Peter Windolf, Planning Department ATTACHMENT N0.:2 REPORT NO.: EGDA17-11- }gOxuM.~ ~e Royal Canadian Le ion h~ g -.- BOWMANVILLE (ONT. NO. 178) BRANCH BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3K8 March 18, 2011 Municipality of Clarington 40 Temperance Street Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3A6 Re: Newcastle Memorial Park The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 178 Bowmanville Disagrees with the name change of Memorial Park Newcastle. We feel that the original name of Memorial Park was named in memory of our World War 11 Veterans and that the name should continue in their memory. Si ely c ~ nes President ~~T1teg served till death! Why ttOf me7" ATTACHMENT N0.:3 REPORT NO.: EGD-017-11 .ter VrC~ NU.: ADMIN. t6-98 PAGE 3 Attachment # 1 to Report Admin.-16-98 .POLICY REGARDING MEMORIAL TRIBUTES A) MEMBERS OF COUNCIL: Mavo~s: recognize past or present Mayors by the naming of a facilhy. Councillars Dadeased During Tenn of Offlcplor Deceased in First Term After Leavinc Office: may be recognized upon request, by the naming of a street or a park within the Municipality. B) MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE Members of the CommunRv At Lame• recognition on an ad-hoc basis by Council, as requests are received, by the naming of any park, street or facilhy, based on the length and degree of service to the community. C) NATIONAL TREBUTESlRECOGNETION OF ROYALTY Nationally recognized individuals, such as Terry Fox, and rewgnition of Royally through visits to Municipally hosted events, may be recognized by the naming of a street, park, or facility. STREET NAMES: The suggestion at any street names will be processed in conjunction wdh the Planning Department's registry and street. naming process. FUNDS: Funds required to implement recognttion memodal tributes will be budgeted in any given year that the tribute is anticipated, antl otherwise may be drawn from the Unclassified Administration Receptions and Tributes account. INtTIAT1ON: Requests will be considered by Council an an as mques[ed basis. Interested parties are to be notified of Council's decision. ATTACHMENT N0.:4 REPORT NO.: EGD-017.11