Duane Hicks
The Rainy Lake Market Square project has taken a step forward after residents provided a wealth of input during a come-and-go open house last Tuesday.
Scatliff + Miller + Murray now will take that input and come up with drawings, which will be presented publicly for comment this spring.
“We’re trying to get a survey of public opinion,” landscape architect David Bodnarchuk of the Winnipeg-based architecture firm said last week.
“We’re not in the design phase yet,” he stressed.
“We’re just getting a sense of what people would like to see in this space because everybody, to some extent, is a stakeholder and we want to make sure that we’re getting their input.
“This is a knowledge-based public process,” added Bodnarchuk, who is the son of Susan and Don Bodnarchuk of Fort Frances.
“It’s really important to us to do this before we begin the design process so we don’t go in with pre-conceived notions,” he remarked.
“We want to know what people see there,” he said. “We’re not only asking, ‘Do you want to see a slide or a set of swings or this or that kind of brick?’
“It’s more about the bigger ideas, the bigger picture—how we program the site.
“We’re really hearing everything—the whole gamut,” Bodnarchuk noted. “People have a wide range of ideas.
“So from here, we have to vet that. We have to put that through a good process to see what really works, balanced with public input.”
Bodnarchuk said because the Town of Fort Frances is going to have to maintain the market square, it will have some input into the project.
Likewise, some serious thought will have to go into certain popular amenities. For example, a fully-accessible building to house public
washrooms could cost as much as $500,000.
At last Tuesday’s open house, held from 4-7 p.m. in the Memorial Sports Centre auditorium, visitors signed in and then were escorted around a series of stations.
At the first one, they marked down on a map of Fort Frances where they lived, where they worked or volunteered, and where they “played” (i.e., engaged in recreational activities).
People then voted on programming they’d like to see held in the market square.
Popular choices included special events, live concerts/performances, and tourism and community promotion.
Then they were asked to pick out some amenities they thought were most important to them.
Some of the top picks were public washrooms, landscaping/gardens, and shade/rain canopy.
Attendees also were asked to fill out a brief survey before leaving.
Other stations provided information on the project background, along with the process and timeline.
The project was awarded to the architecture firm in January, at which time the market square research and steering community began meeting.
Now that the public kick-off has been held, the firm next will sort through the input provided.
A second open house will be hosted this spring, with a detailed design to be ready by this summer.
At that time, the construction will be tendered, with the market square to be built in the fall.
Plenty of opinions
About 65 men and women of all ages attended last Tuesday’s open house to have their say.
One vision put forth was that of a market square with a Fort St. Pierre theme—essentially putting the “fort” back in Fort Frances.
Nathalie Donaldson of Betty’s brought her concept forth to the BIA, which has endorsed the idea in principle.
Donaldson, who also operates the “Downtown Fort Frances” Facebook page, said the idea is to make a place where tourists would stop but also would be usable by local residents on a regular basis.
“People have been asking for years—ask anyone who worked in tourism—‘Where’s the fort?’” she noted.
“This is a huge opportunity,” Donaldson stressed. “We can do the fort in Fort Frances.
“It’s really only a fort on the outside,” she explained. “We can do whatever we want to do inside—a market square, everything—but the whole thing’s a fort.”
Donaldson’s conceptual drawing shows a market square surrounded by a low wall which looks like one that would surround a log fort.
At the front of the lot, facing Scott Street, would be a “Welcome to Canada” archway flanked by Mounties. On the northeast and northwest corners would be structures—one for a kids’ play area; the other with public washrooms.
Other features would include mascots or statues for people to take their photo with, such a Mountie, a mosquito, the Rainy Lake Mermaid, a voyageur, or a logger, as well as a plaque explaining the history of Fort St. Pierre, a directory of what’s on Scott Street, and other tourist information.
Donaldson said part of the space also must be representative of First Nations’ culture.
“There are so many First Nations’ communities around us,” she stressed. “I think we need to represent that.”
Along the west wall would be a vendor area with a roof, with tables and benches.
Along the east wall would be a space upon which to project movies for outdoor movie nights, along with a stage for concerts, plays, and other uses.
There would be a “Boundless” logo behind the stage, indicating the market square as a place where forestry and heritage meets industry and the modern Fort Frances.
Landscaping would include rocks, trees, planters, and other features that have a Northwestern Ontario feel.
The rear of the market square would have an exit archway with a sign stating: “Thanks for visiting.”
There also would be a parking area behind the market square.
Lillian Gerley of the UPS Store said she liked Donaldson’s fort idea, mentioning it would be an attraction for tourists and residents alike.
“It should be multi-use—not just for one specific event or purpose,” she noted.
“It could be a kick-off spot for an event that’s taking place somewhere else,” added Gerley.
“Like somebody mentioned, it could be the start- and end-point for walks or runs.”
“I see this as being huge for fundraisers because you’ve got a great location,” Donaldson reasoned.
“You want to come out and do a bake sale or whatever, and you need a location for it? Come right here downtown where everybody is going to stop.”
Gerley noted it’s also important that different groups step forward to help with programming.
“Talking about movie nights—who would run that? Who would hold the ice sculpture competition?
“All the groups in town can take advantage of it,” said Gerley.
Susan Bodnarchuk, who was part of the proposed “Re-Inventing Fort Frances” initiative in 2002-03, said the market square could make some aspects of that plan a reality.
“We were always looking during ‘Re-Inventing’ and setting up areas for people—community members and tourists alike—to get together,” she recalled.
“So I think this ties into it—it’s an opportunity for something in the downtown area where there was really no space before,” added Bodnarchuk.
“It’s a great opportunity for the downtown to do something that will attract people to that area and it’s a decent-sized area,” she reiterated.
“They could have some events year-round.”
Bodnarchuk said she and her husband just were talking about being able to walk downtown and have a place to sit and have lunch outside.
She also would like to see a stage.
“If someone will take some ownership and plan some events in that area, it will get people out and participating in community activities,” noted Bodnarchuk, adding more people would come downtown for shopping or maybe just want to get together with friends.
Aspects of the “Re-Inventing Fort Frances” plan included altering traffic flow to promote local businesses, turning the old Fort Frances High School into a market area with a park and amphitheatre, erecting a large Mountie statue, creating a “fort-like” gateway at the border, and much more.
Dr. Bob Lidkea said he’d love to see a bandshell like the one in Smokey Bear Park over in International Falls while Marietheres Metke said the market square space must be multi-functional and be usable year-round.
Metke added she would like the community to be able to have a tree-lighting ceremony to kick-off the Christmas season, for example.
Furthermore, the market must be “pretty,” stressed Metke, adding that if the town is trying to attract professionals such as doctors, it must be aesthetically pleasing.
Robert Schulz said he would like to see a stage or bandshell for entertainment, but stressed it should be located in the southwest corner of the lot so the sun is not in the eyes of performers.
He also doesn’t want it to be too clustered. For example, while there might be room for some stationary tables and benches, at larger events, the onus should be on the public to bring their own chairs.
Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce president Jennifer Greenhalgh said that whatever is done with the market square, it must be able to generate some revenue.
“You’ve got to get money back out of it,” she remarked.
“If we don’t make sure that happens, it will become a burden to the taxpayers,” she warned.
