King Street parkette filled with life again
Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Members of the Uxbridge fire department were there. The Uxbridge Grizzlies baseball team was there. Rotarians, neighbours and other volunteers were there. And, of course, Gerry Oldham was there.
A small army amassed on Saturday morning to help install three pocket forests on the King Street parkette. Photo by the Rotary Club of Uxbridge
The "there" was the King Street parkette and early Saturday morning more than 50 people showed up to help the Rotary Club of Uxbridge lay down the beds for three "pocket" forests. Pocket forests are a smaller version of the mini forests that Rotary has installed or is planning to install around the town.
Three beds were created - two close to the street and a third one at the rear of the parkette. After layers of cardboard were put down to help keep weeds from intruding, the fire department hosed them down to aid in their eventual breakdown. Then each bed was covered in several inches of compost and a layer of mulch was added on top of that.
That was labour intensive, since the compost was carried in large buckets to be dumped on the cardboard, with young and old alike carrying the buckets. However, although Rotary had set aside three hours for the work, the job was completed much sooner.
For Gerry Oldham, this was the culmination of her decades-long fight to save the parkette. That fight appeared to be over a few months ago when council declared the parkette surplus and offered it for sale. But lack of servicing meant few were interested in the property and it was returned as a parkette.
Oldham said she was a little unsure of the pocket forests, but seeing it laid out changed her mind.
"I'm glad to see the park return," she said, adding that it now needs a picnic table, a garbage can and a small garden.
The compost was donated by Durham Region, the mulch was supplied by Uxbridge Tree Service and the buckets and numerous shovels were on loan from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. The LSRCA is also a funding partner.
Now the beds have to be given time to settle before native species are mass planted. Rotary has already planted a mini forest on the Fields of Uxbridge and plans a second one close by. It has also proposed a mini forest for the small triangle of land at the Toronto Street-Main Street intersection.