Over the course of this summer, a few hours at a time, I am going to visit all the parkettes of Richmond Hill which are marked on the official Richmond Hill Parks and Trail Map.
I've decided to take it one grid square at a time. Across the top of the map it goes from A-E. Richmond Hill, Ontario, is bordered by Bathurst Street on the west to Highway 404 on the east. This section, grid number 1, is bordered by the northernmost street in Richmond Hill, Bloomington Road and the grid covers midway into Lake Wilcox and Bethesda Road, but not as far south as King Road.
According to the map Coons Parkette will be my first visit.
The "address" is: Fern Valley Cres., W. of Yonge St. N. of King Rd.
As far as I can tell, this is it.
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| sign says: WARNING Storm Detention Area use of pond prohibited |
I can't see any other park-like spaces around, and a parkette must be a diminutive park .
I'm going to request the official definition this week.
As far as I can tell this is the official entrance to Coons Parkette. There is no sign to tell me if I am right or wrong. The entry way definitely looks official and orderly with those rectangular stone blocks offsetting the open metal walkway. Not sure what I am going to be walking over..
It's all cat tails. The water is super low. On the extreme right is a small stream, some kind of run off I think. I can't get a good image of it as it's obscured by the reeds.
Once over the walkway you come to more grand rectangular stone blocks.
I thought the space would end here but there is a slight curve and as you walk you see this
So this parkette is basically a fancy shortcut connecting two neighbourhoods over a swamp. It's a bit more elaborate than my neighbourhood's official shortcut, but my shortcut has a very official sign.
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| further along the path-these trees are on the property of neighbouring houses |
Turning around at the end, I noticed this sign as I headed back
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| sign says: CAUTION: BROKEN PATHWAY AHEAD |
Heading back to the start
Not sure what to make of this first parkette experience. It doesn't feel like a space to linger in. The metal walkway makes me want to hurry vs. wooden walkways that seem more friendly. Odd.
On to parkette #2 of my summer odyssey, Worthington Parkette.
2 comments:
I'd agree, it's not a place that invites lingering, but it looks like a really invigorating short cut. A break from asphalt and cars and houses, a little bit of green, a change of texture. This space would be refreshing during a long run.
I didn't find it refreshing. It felt industrial to me. It was the choice of the type of metal for the walkway over the reeds. And I wanted a real place to set a spell--I don't know why they bothered with this, except I think it probably preserves that tiny patch of wetland. Only small things could call that home, I think. I could be wrong.
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