Cathedral community members hold ‘ideas jam’ for future of Holy Rosary Park

Community members held an 'ideas jam' for the future of Holy Rosary Park on Saturday. (Damian Smith / CTV News)

A year after the Holy Rosary School was demolished In Regina, community members gathered to for an ‘ideas jam’ on what to do next with the land.

“With that loss, we decided we take matters into our own hands and develop a community vision,” said Jennifer Fix, the volunteer organizer. “Then we’ll be undergoing fundraising in order to hopefully bring those ideas along.”

Vision boards were placed around Regina Early Learning Centre, where members could place stickers on the ideas they preferred the most. The Cathedral neighbourhood looks to use “a mix of ingredients,” including “invitation, comfort and safety and access to nature.”

The ideas jam also had an architect on hand, who took ideas from visitors, creating scenarios for the two thirds of the block that they look to use.

Members could place stickers on parts of the area that they felt most safe and unsafe, as well as active, restful, social and introverted.

The Cathedral Village Community Association has learned that at least 265 people live within three blocks of the park, according to an online survey conducted last spring.

Common preferences for future park features include picnic areas and benches, playground equipment, accessibility and walkways.

Some key concerns for the future park are safety, security, lighting, maintenance and cleanliness.

In that survey, 77 per cent of takers said that it’s “extremely important” or “very important” to develop the park further.

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“Public spaces are for everyone out there, for all people of all ages, all abilities, and all backgrounds,” said Fix. “We really want to create this where people can come together and their differences, so we want to ensure that the process by which we develop that vision is equally as important.”

The community says that the City of Regina has not identified Rosary Park in its current budget, and that all funds to upgrade must be made within the community.

Some fund amounts for certain physical items are:

Benches (with concrete pad): $3,350

Shade Structure: $55,000

Spray Pad: $750,000 or more

Bike Rack (with concrete pad): $1,800

Tree: $1,800

Crusher Dust Pathway: $92/m2

Fix said that community volunteers will take what they learn from Saturday’s ideas, then detail a community vision report, which they will bring forward at the Cathedral Arts Festival this spring.

Following the festival, they’ll start their search for funding.