A park in the middle of town
Project marries beautification to boosting tourism in Arviat
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, November 5, 2014
ARVIAT
The first step of a project that could boost tourism while making life in Arviat a bit more engaging should be sitting on Mayor Bob Leonard's desk in about five months.
A planned eco-park may provide an attractive addition to activities in place through Arviat's Community Ecotourism project. - NNSL file photo |
The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) and the Hamlet of Arviat announced they were investing in design work for a proposed eco-park in Arviat this past September.
CanNor invested $106,964 in the design work, while the hamlet kicked in $26,741 for a total investment of $133,705.
The eco-park would combine a large reserve of wetlands with walking trails and interpretive materials.
Leonard said should the project ultimately reach fruition, it will be a great space for both Arviammiut and visitors to enjoy the land, experience culture and tradition, and learn about Arviat's delicate ecosystems and wildlife.
He said Kivalliq communities are becoming barrens because of gravel roads and gravel-land assembly.
"We start on this beautiful land we live on, and we begin to create deserts for communities," said Leonard. "So we decided to set aside a good-sized pocket of land, more or less in the middle of our community, as the natural wetlands it is. We want to have walking trails, little lookouts and interpretative signs to tell people what the different plants, grasses and birds are.
"We envision it as being like a park in any other city, really."
Leonard said once completed, the design work will give the hamlet a good estimate of the eco-park's cost, and a schedule to work toward based on how much money the hamlet can raise to do the work year by year.
He said the hamlet will move forward with the project once the community decides on the final design of how the eco-park will look.
"There's a tie between beautifying the community and helping to develop local tourism with this eco-park.
"It would also improve the experience for business or government travellers by giving them an activity to do after hours.
"So apart from being something we may advertise and use as part of our tourism strategy, it can also be a natural benefit to people travelling here for other reasons."
Leonard said the parcel of land is about 1.5-km long and 1-km wide.
He said feedback from the community on the concept has been very positive.
"Our input toward the design will push for the materials being as hardy as possible to withstand the weather and anything else that might come at it.
"But, having said that, I'm sure there will be some costs associated with maintaining it.
"I expect the current design work to be completed by the end of March, 2015.
"Once the community agrees upon the design, we'll begin looking for ways to finance the project going forward."
