Shedding some light on Sunnyside Park

Avid gardeners know that when you rearrange a garden, it takes a year or two before the new layout feels natural. This also is the case with Sunnyside Park, and the end result will indeed be spectacular. We must all have the patience of gardeners, and watch in wonder as the beauty of the garden reveals itself over time.

Visitors to the belvedere will have noticed that the basics of the new design are now in place, including the pathways, electrical conduits, grass and some shrubs. However, the new trees and remaining shrubs will only be planted next spring. The newly planted shrubs, and those still to be planted, will quickly grow to hide the sight of the pathways from the belvedere, giving the park a fuller look.

Visitors can see the lovely vines, already showing their fall colours, growing up the face of the lookout parapet. Absolutely delightful. In coming years, they will mature to cover large portions of the wall. Below, a mixture of serviceberry, hawthorns and cherry trees, all native to the region, will be planted next spring. These species bear fruit, and will attract birds. They will not grow taller than the lookout parapet, in keeping with the purpose of the project to recover the view and the park’s original look. The proposed location of these additional trees is staked out, and we counted 11 stakes on our last visit. We invite you to stop by and visualize the final look for yourselves.

A large tree that stood on the west side of the park, and that originally was supposed to have been kept, unfortunately had to be removed because of disease. The City will plant three fast-growing sugar maples in that location.

We aren’t very happy with the appearance of the electrical cables strung along the west side of the park on some rather decrepit poles, some of them probably 60 or 70 years old. Together with my colleague Cllr Martin, who is also commissioner responsible for Hydro Westmount, we have determined that, independently of the Park project, these poles are due for replacement over the next few months. We will examine the possibility of making them much less visible, though the shallow depth of soil above bedrock in that area may limit the alternatives.

Undoubtedly the view is spectacular, as it was 50 years ago, and we will continue to monitor the project, with a view to preserving the view and making the park an attractive place for wildlife. The City will continue to keep the summit closed to tour buses, and may further restrict motor traffic if necessary.

• George Bowser is City Councillor for District 5 and Commissioner of Public Works & Parks.