A habitat focusing on supporting creatures and wetland animals or a growing space focusing on edible and medicinal plants? The city wants to hear what residents have to say about the concepts being put forward for the space that formerly housed the Queen's Park petting farm.
From 1960 to 2019, the space to the east of Queen’s Park Arena housed a petting farm that was the summertime home for animals including pigs, goats, peacocks and rabbits. The petting zoo didn’t open in 2020 because of COVID-19 gathering restrictions, and the city later embarked on a process to re-imagine the uses for the space.
The City of New Westminster is currently seeking into for two design options that have been developed for the space. As per Be Heard New West, these concepts are:
* Habitat: This concept option focuses on where plants or animals live and where they get food and water. The design includes three types of habitat that support a diversity of animals and plants – a pollinator meadow, smaller forest plantings, and a wetland.
* Grow: This concept option focuses on edible plants that will grow well in the shade in a forested area. The design encourages exploration and aims to educate visitors about plants grown for eating and medicine, and how to grow and harvest responsibly.
According to the city, the conceptual design options were developed based on what it heard from community members during last year’s Phase 1 engagement. The city is now seeking input on the two concepts that have been developed.
Community members are invited to share their thoughts on the concepts at a drop-in engagement session that’s taking place on Saturday, Nov. 19 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the greenhouse in Queen’s Park.
“Join us for family-friendly activities where you can get your hands dirty and directly experience the two concepts: Habitat and Grow,” said a notice about the current engagement opportunities.
Community members can also provide input via an online survey (open until Wednesday, Nov. 30) and a virtual workshop on Zoom (Tuesday, Nov. 22 from 6 to 7 p.m.).
According to the city, feedback provided in this phase of engagement will be used to develop a final, preferred concept for the future of this space in Queen’s Park. It’s anticipated staff will report back on the current engagement process in January 2023, with a final concept presented to council in the winter of 2023 and implementation to take place in the spring and summer of 2023.
Details about the concepts and public engagement, as well as information about the process that’s led to the current proposals, can be found at www.beheardnewest.ca.
What happened to the zoo?
Prior to 2020, animals from a farm in Langley summered in New Westminster, where they lived from the Victoria Day long weekend in May until Labour Day.
“The current space is no longer adequate for the type of livestock that are housed in farm each season. Additionally, the number of visitors to the farm has increased substantially over the years, creating increased stress on the animals,” said the Be Heard New West website. “The comfort and care of the animals has always been the city’s top priority. Our farm staff have always provided the best possible care to our animals, but we know going forward that the current space has become insufficient.”
According to the City of New Westminster, Aldor Acres Family Farm loaned the animals to the city each season. The city encourages people to visit this family-owned farm, which offers hands-on farming education and animal experiences.
