For many Ville-Marie residents, Percy-Walters Park is more than just a green space. It’s a primary gathering place and their social network.
“It’s just a great outlet for everybody,” said Susan Spencer, a lover and a frequent visitor to the park.
“We lost our dog about three years ago, I still come because for me it is just spectacular to know I have my friends from all those years of my coming here,” she explained.
For many others, the park which they’ve frequented for decades now serves as not only a place to get their daily connection with others, it serves as a longstanding tradition.
“This park is my legacy because I’ve only had dogs, no children,” said Judith Goldman, a retiree and daily visitor of the place she calls a second home.
As construction for rainwater management and dog park facility improvements shutdown access to most of the park, many residents raised concerns about the temporary enclosure the City provided while the work continues through to December.
“People have moved here because of this dog park, which is great,” said Spencer.
“They weren’t pleased to hear that the big park was not available to them anymore.”
Those concerns over the temporary dog enclosure – known humorously as “the cage” among the frequent visitors — didn’t go unheard.
Dog owners say after a positive exchange with borough councillor Leslie Roberts, who visited Percy-Walters Park last month, the enclosure will see improvements.
“After meeting with him and having a really good back and forth with those people that chose to be present for that back and forth and with his colleagues, it ended up with us being able to convince him that expanding the park was really worthwhile,” Spencer said.
“The city has been , in my estimation, very attentive to our issues,” echoed Goldman.
While thrilled with the City’s interest in maintaining what they refer to as a site of heritage interest with a series of redevelopment and restoration projects underway since 2013 – residents say they’re even more relieved to hear of the city’s willingness to collaborate and expand the temporary dog park while construction continues.
“I think it’s going to be up to 50 per cent larger,” Spencer added. “We are going to be using this park right up until the opening of the new.”
City officials confirmed to CityNews over the phone that the expansion of the temporary enclosure will be completed by the end of the summer.
“Let’s see some action and not just talk,” said Goldman.
“The thing about governments, especially municipal governments or city-level governments, you really have to work with them on a continual basis and we’ve done that. We’ve done our part.”
And while all residents attest that they trust the city to keep their word, they also add they won’t hesitate to hold them to it.
“The construction holidays are over now. So, I think they’re going to get down to work and I would hope and expect in the next couple of weeks we’re going to get our expansion,” declared Spencer excitedly.
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