Remembrance Relocation Plan Park Board Committee Meeting January - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Air Force Garden of Remembrance Relocation Plan Park Board Committee Meeting January 28, 2019

Purpose of Presentation  To provide background on the Air Force Memorial Garden in Stanley Park  Present a rationale for a new, re-located garden in Queen Elizabeth Park  To request that staff continue to work with the Battle of Britain Memorial Fund to carry forward with next steps

Background 6

Air Force Garden of Remembrance Built in 1952 to commemorate pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain in 1940 .

Location AIR FORCE GARDEN

Garden as it Exists Today The garden consists of a looping gravel trail, lined with placed rocks and plaques set underneath a forest of large, mature trees

Garden as it Exists Today The garden features a small rock-lined pool, along with a wishing well, a flag pole, a welcome sign and four commemorative trees

Garden as it Exists Today  A total of 22 plaques are mounted on individual rocks  Commemorates Canadian, British, French, Polish, and Chinese Air Forces

Garden as it Exists Today  4 commemorative trees with plaques dedicated to Canadian and New Zealand Air Forces

Rationale for a New Garden & Location 13

Accessibility Issues  Not accessible to visitors needing mobility assistance  Entry/access to garden creates safety concerns

Noise & Disruption of Tranquility Garden located immediately next to two roads and the Stanley Park Bus Loop

Lack of Visibility

Lack of Functionality Lack of event space, staging and infrastructure for annual commemorative events

Stanley Park is a Sensitive Ecosystem  Stanley Park stewardship efforts  Ecological Action Plan  Forest Management Plan

Reconciliation Approach A long and significant history of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh first peoples has been erased from the park

Opportunity for a New Location 20

Queen Elizabeth Park

Queen Elizabeth Park – “ highest point in Vancouver ”

Recommended Next Steps  Develop a scope and timeline for the Air Force Garden relocation project  Work with the Battle of Britain Memorial Fund to review potential site locations and initial functional diagram of garden  Integrate location analysis and selection with upcoming Queen Elizabeth Park Masterplan process  Return to the Board for approval of recommended site location and concept of Air Force Garden

Conclusion 24

Recommendation A. THAT the Vancouver Park Board approve the relocation of the Air Force Garden of Remembrance in Stanley Park to Queen Elizabeth Park; and B. THAT the Vancouver Park Board direct staff to work with the Battle of Britain Memorial Fund to develop options for a new garden plan in Queen Elizabeth Park, as outlined in this report. 25