160429 Beautification Working GroupTown of Tillsonburg Beautification Working Group
Report from the meeting of April 29, 2016
1. Attending Christine Nagy, Matt Fenn, Corey Hill, Paul DeCloet, Sue Saelens, Penny Esseltine, John Kirkland.
Regrets/Absent: Wendy Cameron, Marian Smith
Chair Christine Nagy called the meeting to order at 9:10 a.m.
2. Fanshawe College Student Presentations On April 15 a total of 11 groups made presentations of their completed design projects relating to a
Tillsonburg Beautification Project. Christine Nagy and Penny Esseltine attended the morning
presentations and Sue Saelens and Penny Esseltine attended the afternoon presentations in the landscape design studio at Fanshawe. On Monday April 18 the two professors guiding these efforts,
Corinne Wilmink and Eli Cattle visited Tillsonburg with two student groups to make presentations to a larger audience of people representing the Heritage Beautification and Cemetery Committee, the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society, the Town of Tillsonburg and the Beautification Working Group. The
work of all groups was available for viewing as well, displayed on printed pages.
Each of the 11 groups of students produced design concepts for a two block section of Broadway, a
Parklet on Broadway, one of three designated special areas including the Sear’s parkette at Oxford and Broadway, the Rotary Clock Tower area, or the public area in front of the Town Centre Mall. As well they
completed concepts for a park in the privately owned property across from the Station Arts Centre on
Bridge Street between Bidwell and Rolph as it offered an empty slate to work with.
3. Assessment of Presentations
• Presentations were interesting, professionally prepared and creative
• Design ideas relating to the space at Bridge Street between and Bidwell and Rolph Streets can be adapted to other locations. Design ideas show great territoriality and options for crime prevention
• Designs not necessarily targeted to our means and sometimes beyond the culture of Tillsonburg
• Good use of heritage themes (wagon wheels, oxen, turtlefest, airport, train trestle)
• Parklet ideas may be more adaptable to sidestreets as Broadway being a provincial highway makes implementing these design ideas difficult
• Overwhelming number of design ideas, impressed with creativity
• Inclusion of tree infrastructure and an overall tree canopy throughout the downtown in all of the
student designs
• Some suggestion for lighting and planter designs. More of this would be helpful.
• Great jumping off point. We can take good ideas from all of these projects and adapt them for our use
and planning purposes
4. Beautification Priorities and Action Items
• Trees, storm water management, tree infrastructure required
identify kinds of trees that could be used for street plantings referencing Fanshawe
presentations, Tillsonburg Tree By-Law, and other resources including Central Area Design
study (Sue) (others who have suggested tree ideas)
B.I.A. will replace damaged or missing trees in existing Broadway locations in 2016 (John)
• Street and Sidewalk Lighting
Review lighting options recommended in Fanshawe presentation as well as Central Area Design
Study (Penny)
B.I.A. has reviewed lighting options in the past and recently forwarded letter to Operations
Director asking to be included in conversation about lighting on Broadway (John)
Request for Director of Operations Kevin DeLeebeck to attend May 9 meeting regarding both lighting and infrastructure for trees (Penny)
• Oxford and Broadway Park (Sear’s Parkette)
Corey reports this is a priority for Parks Department
always difficult to keep existing fountain looking healthy
review original plans for this parkette and bring forward to next meeting (John)
isolate plans from Fanshawe projects as well as Central Area Design Study and bring to next
meeting (Christine)
• Clock Tower Area
Identified as potential independent project for funding purposes
bring forward Fanshawe student recommendations for area as well as information from Central Area Design Study (Penny)
Identify town-owned property around clock tower (Corey)
• Bump Outs, Traffic Calming Measures
reserve for later conversation
• Art Park (north side of Bridge Street between Rolph and Bidwell Streets)
take park proposal and design concepts to McLaughlin Family (Christine)
• 2016 Urns at Test Locations (Broadway and Ridout) (Broadway and Brock)
Tillsonburg Garden Gate generously offers to fund plantings and contribute/loan urns at one
Broadway intersection for 2016 (Matt)
Urns to be approximately 36” high and placed on nodes extending from sidewalks (Matt)
Plantings to complement hanging baskets planned by B.I.A. Beautification group with assistance
from Horticultural Society in 2016 (John and Christine)
Potential funding to support demonstration plantings at second location on Broadway provided by Knights of Columbus (This to include plants as well as contribution toward watering). Contact to
be made with Brian Stephenson. (Penny)
Funding from Tillsonburg Lions Club ($200) is available to support this project (Sue)
This list of priorities is an initial consideration. We will continue to work with, learn from, and adapt the
information and design concepts provided by Fanshawe College students as we move forward.
5. Date of Next Meeting
Monday, May 9, 2016, 9:00 a.m., Marwood Lounge
Chair: Christine Nagy
Recorder: Penny Esseltine 05/02/16