Naturally, Glendale, Big Next Step!
Article by Monika Smith, Master Gardener
As you’ve read, with our Stella Project Conceptual Drawing Grant accepted, we are ready to roll! We selected a company from a short list of three that have experience and expertise to create a great public space. These companies, through their submissions, offered to fulfil the challenge to make our community hall grounds beautiful, functional, and safe, with the purpose of wellness, joy, and fun for generations of residents and ensuring that we have a healthy, attractive space for pollinators, birds, and critters. The GGMCA plans to provide educational experiences in gardening, learning about native plants and more.
The Naturally, Glendale project utilized a selection committee of community volunteers: John Mar, Mike Sanders, and Monika Smith who reviewed the submissions and felt that The TULA Project, a landscape architecture design firm based in Calgary, provided the best presentation. Over the past five years, The TULA Project has established a strong portfolio of completed public realm and community park projects spanning Alberta and British Columbia. Their expertise in community park design and park master planning is reflected in Calgary projects such as the Hawkwood Outdoor Recreational Facility, Meadowlark Park Community Park Master Plan, and the Coventry Hills Parkour Park Plan.
The TULA Project’s core value recognizes that design is a shared approach where the final design outcome reflects the cumulative effort and collaboration by all those involved in the design process. March was a very busy month in getting the project moving forward. First, the members of The TULA Project met with board members. As part of their proposal, a survey for all residents is being set up and should be distributed by the time you are reading this edition of the Thumper!
Next, we plan to have an in-person consultation process to ensure that we heard from all Glendale residents about our grounds. Staff of the City of Calgary and City of Calgary Parks have been included in this process, as they have a final say in what we can and can’t do. The City also has strong recommendations on their preferences, backed by knowledge of naturalization, planting trees, and best practices for attracting pollinators, etc. The City has much higher standards for their lands, compared to what we can do in our back yard. For example, a proposed pathway must have due concern about safety and mobility issues.
Results will be published in upcoming issues of the Thumper and at myglendale.ca.
If you have ideas for Naturally, Glendale, contact Monika at [email protected].
Click here to the Glendale Community News home page for the latest Glendale community updates.
