We need your input.
The Municipality has begun a new project to develop a Public Realm Plan for Downtown Almonte and Ottawa Street. The objective is to develop long-term policies for the use of and the long-term maintenance of public spaces. A first draft of the plan is targeted for early fall this year.
The Alameda is one of the places to be included in Almonte’s Public Realm planning. The locally conceived and created Almonte Alameda is the treelined section on the rail trail running through the centre of town alongside the Public Library and Reserve Street. It is part of the larger Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail (OVRT).
We have an opportunity to contribute to the Public Realm plan as it relates to the Alameda. An informal group of active volunteers who have worked to develop and maintain this unique space are looking for views from Alameda users and Almonte citizens on the future of this special place, which had its beginnings as an idea followed with action by the people in the community.
Origins: A Community Place Rises
When use of a span of Canadian Pacific Railway track was discontinued in January 2010, Lanark County, Renfrew County and the Township of Papineau acquired the rail corridor, removed the rails and ties and reserved the 296 kilometers from Mattawa to Smith Falls for recreational use. In the early summer of 2020, an ad hoc gathering of Almonte citizens saw an opportunity, raised money and planted 102 sugar maple trees along a stretch in the centre of Almonte. An Alameda, meaning a public walk shaded with trees, was born. The name was also a tribute to the Mexican (Spanish) origins of Almonte’s name. A spontaneous and fluid group of volunteers continued to oversee the health of the trees, watering them with pails carried from the Mississippi River as needed, even as a drought threatened their survival.
Gradually and organically, the Almonte Alameda emerged as a hub of activity cherished by local residents and a draw for visitors. Benches for resting were installed with quotations and small sculptures honouring well-known members of the community (their stories recorded online). Historical plaques were erected and picnic tables added. Equipment for the Almonte Wellness Trail and a bicycle repair stand became included. A garden was planted and tended at Bridge Street, framed with stones pulled from the earth during the replacement of aging infrastructure on Mill St.. A bust of the beloved Gloria (from CBC’s Under The Umbrella Tree) and the Alameda Greenman by Dale Dunning appeared by the trees. ATVs shared the trail with pedestrians. Supporting multiple interests and ages, the space over time developed for all the community. The Farmers Market, Puppets Up! and the Halloween Pumpkin Harvest found their natural place along the Alameda. The Youth Centre has run events for the young with pizzas cooked in the nearby outdoor oven and movies shown on the Alameda lawns, powered by newly installed electrical lines. Recently, wooden sculptures created by Naismith school children formed a summer exhibit. Six years on, our trees are reaching across the path beginning to deliver their promised shade, and Almonte has a beautiful, green place that nourishes and honours the spirit of the community in the town core.
Ideas to Spark Our Imaginations
Through the Public Realm plan, we have an opportunity to ensure this community-made spot, by the Old Town Hall, the Riverwalk, the Horticultural Society Garden and Mill Street, thrives and grows as a place for everyone to enjoy, as a destination that reminds all of the creative, welcoming spirit of Almonte. Let us know your thoughts on these ideas for continuing this as a special space for our community as well as any other ideas for the Alameda you may have:
- 3 Tiny Forests – preserving/enhancing the existing 3 copses of trees
- Group picnic space with accessible tables
- Lighting – This one is half-way to being realized. Underground cables are in place. Twenty white stones of local marble are ready to receive special insets that will gently wash the ground path with light for evening use that won’t disturb clear skies.
- Improved grasses, improved tree wells
- Imagine Wall – whimsy sculpture/structure with puppet worthy use, made with rescued Dungarvon stone
- Adopt-a Garden
- Outdoor chess table with stool
- Concrete table tennis table
- Multi-directional foot traffic – connecting access paths from Reserve Street up to the Alameda and through to the Horticultural Society Garden
- Gazebo
- Pop Up art display platforms, plinths
- Children’s reading nook
- Children’s clambering challenges
- Improved Reserve Street parking boundary/interface with grass field
- Preserved parking overflow for the Fairgrounds
- More public art selected through new public art policies
Please share your ideas for continuing to realize the promise of our Alameda.
Send your ideas with Alameda in the subject line to: f.r.scott.hortop@gmail.com (Alameda volunteer)
We will include and transmit your comments in our Public Realm conversations. Thank you for contributing!
Alameda Volunteers
