Public Meeting May 11 for new community centre

Mark your calendar: The City of Toronto will be holding a virtual public meeting May 11 at 6:30 pm to review site design options for the new Wabash Community Centre at Sorauren Park. Register online at the City’s Wabash Community Centre project page.

The City and its architects, Diamond Schmitt, will unveil proposed plans for how the new centre will fit into the site. Because the programming plan requires more space than what is available at the site of the old Canada Linseed Mill property at 40 Wabash Avenue, there will be an impact on the park.

You can join the May 11 Zoom meeting by video or audio. The City will also be running a survey from May 5 to May 31. This is just one step in the public consultation process, as more consultations will be held as the design becomes more developed.

The Friends of Sorauren Park have advocated for retaining the Fieldhouse and the Town Square, site of the weekly Farmers Market, outdoor movies, community festivals, pumpkin sale fundraisers, ad hoc ball hockey and pickleball games, fitness classes, skateboarding, the best place to learn how to ride a bike in Toronto, and more. The community and the City have already invested more than $1 million in the Fieldhouse and Town Square.

FOSP also supports retaining the industrial heritage features of the linseed mill as much as possible. The community has supported these positions through FOSP-led community consultations and a survey.

Here are the key details for the City consultation from the Wabash Community Centre project page:

Virtual Public Meeting

• May 11, 2021
• 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Attend the virtual public meeting to learn about the site design options and share your feedback.

Two ways to join:

1. Online
2. By calling 647-558-0588 and using meeting ID: 816 1425 3169. A participant ID is not required

Online Survey

May 5 to May 31, 2021

Complete the online survey to learn about the site design options and share your feedback.

A survey link will be posted on May 5, 2021.

You can also request a hard copy of the survey in the mail by calling 416-642-6605 or e-mailing klamparero@swerhun.com.

Sorauren Pumpkin Parade Nov. 1

The annual Sorauren Park Pumpkin Parade takes place the evening of Sunday, Nov. 1, the day after Halloween. Bring your jack-o-lantern to the park, line it up along the path, and enjoy the parade!

The 11th annual Parade is produced by you, and sponsored by Councillor Gord Perks and the Wabash Building Society.

This year, volunteers are required the day after the parade to help pitch the retired pumpkins into the City-provided composting bin. Please come to the park on Monday, Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. with your wheelbarrows, wagons and gloves to help out.

 

Sorauren Park 20th Anniversary: Save the date, Sept. 26, 2015

Sorauren Park 20th Anniversary A Celebration of Community & Urban Greenspacing

Save the date: Saturday, September 26, 2015, 4 -10 p.m.

Sorauren Avenue Park opened in September 1995 following a hard-fought community campaign to establish a new neighbourhood park on industrial land slated to become a depot for municipal garbage trucks. The park has become everything its founders imagined: a treasured public green space for leisure, recreation, sports and community. Our common ground.

For its 20th anniversary, local non-profit organizations and dedicated volunteers have come together to plan a special event, celebrating the past, present and future of our park.

We’ll be updating these pages during the countdown to Sept. 26, as details become available. Get anniversary news by subscribing to Sorauren Park News monthly e-newsletter, and following us on Twitter @SoraurenPark. Have ideas, talents or sweat equity to contribute? Contact us. Interesting in becoming one of our official sponsors?

20th Anniversary Events

20th Anniversary Partners & Sponsors

20th Anniversary Volunteer

20th Anniversary Birthday Cake Decorating Contest

20th Anniversary – Contact Us

Town Square Phase 1 opening July 7 – you’re invited!

New Town Square nearing completion. Full site will include new lawn and 50 new trees

Mark your calendars: the community celebration to mark the opening of the new Sorauren Park Town Square, Phase 1, takes place Monday, July 7 at 6 p.m. (NOTE: This is a new date, postponed from earlier posts due to construction delays.)

To usher in Toronto’s newest public space, the Town Square campaign’s “take down the fence” theme will be enacted with a ceremonial de-fencing. Please join your neighbours as we collectively “take down the fence” using a long rope we’ll all grab onto. One, two, three… pull!

This phase of the Town Square is possible because of the awesome support and donations from the community. Every dollar counted, and leveraged funding from other sources including a major contribution from Live Green Toronto, support from TD Friends of the Environment, large donations from Howard Public School and The Little Paper’s Little Festival, crucial support from Councillor Gord Perks, and many other donations.

Special shout-out to Chander Chaddah, who has supported the Sorauren Pumpkin Sale for many years and made major donations to the Town Square campaign to mark his 25 years in business in the neighbourhood.

Of course, none of it would be possible without Parks, Forestry and Recreation, which not only provided base funding, but also enthusiastically supported the community campaign and believed in the project. Credit also to the designers, The Planning Partnership.

The opening event will feature music and dance on the Square. The Farmers Market will also be running on its usual Monday schedule at the park, and soccer will be in full swing. Expect a fun, busy time!

The end of Phase 1 marks the start of the Phase 2 fundraising campaign to finish the square with park furniture, a bake oven, and a major architectural feature: the trellis that will connect the Fieldhouse to the future community centre (old linseed factory). The trellis will serve as an iconic gateway to the park and provide practical functions such as mounting for an outdoor movie screen, the future donor wall, lighting, shade and cool things we haven’t even imagined yet.

Please come on July 7.

Phase 1 Town Square construction ready to start

Thanks to extraordinary community generosity, a Live Green Toronto grant, and support from Councillor Gord Perks, Phase 1 of the Sorauren Park Town Square is set to become a reality later this year.

The Phase 1 community fundraising campaign far exceeded its initial goal of $40,000, raising to date almost $62,000 and counting. Councillor Perks was able to secure additional funding in order to meet the conditions of a $125,000 matching grant from Live Green Toronto, providing $250,000 in funding that helps start the project managed by Parks, Forestry and Recreation. Phase 1 construction can begin later this summer.

How far Phase 1 goes is still being determined by the design and construction teams. The Planning Partnership has been hired by the City to prepare final design concepts and drawings. The full build-out of the Square will require a second phase of fundraising.

Town Square concept with Market