A new park represents a silver lining following a bitterly contested school closure in Old East Village.
The former Lorne Avenue Public School property is a stark reminder to Rita Quinlan of what her neighbourhood lost.
“I was sad to see the school go personally, lots of families around.”
But work will begin this summer to transform most of the land at the corner of Lorne Avenue and English Street into a city park.
City staff have developed a design for the park following extensive public consultation.
According to landscape architect Julie Michaud, it contains many different ideas from neighbours.
“The park has a playground, it has a multi-use court, and also some space for rain gardens and sensory gardens. It is a mix of different ideas.”
City hall is asking for feedback on the design before fine tuning the construction drawings.
Work on the park will begin this summer and city hall plans to hold a grand opening in the spring of 2020.
The public can comment on the design at https://getinvolved.london.ca/lorne-avenue-park until March 25.
