Foundation proceeds with TD Bank tear-down

Following a community consultation process, the Creemore Community Foundation is proceeding with a plan to demolish the TD Bank and expand the park.
The community was called to a third meeting about the fate of the TD Bank building on March 30, this time to listen to the outcome of two community consultation sessions which captured the interest and imagination of residents. During two workshops people packed into Station on the Green to participate in visioning and brainstorming sessions for the TD Bank property and the village as a whole. A clear consensus on whether or not the building should be torn down was not reached but there were strong opinions on both sides of the debate.
The TD Lands Community Consultation Committee (TLC) recommendation reads, TLC recommends specific supporting measures to enhance commercial and cultural vitality through programming and community engagement for the Creemore Community Foundation to implement in order to create and ensure the long-term viability of a public, active, green space.
“Our committee did not reach a consensus about whether or not the building should be torn down but we did reach a consensus on the measures. Everybody at our table agreed on the supporting measures,” said committee chair Sara Hershoff.
The measures in the TLC recommendation include proper funding for maintenance, capital improvements and programming, good use of existing and new volunteers, a commitment from the Foundation to being the primary custodians, partnerships with existing groups, and wayfinding to move visitors through the village.
“We hope these specific measures will address the concerns that people voiced throughout the process,” said Hershoff. “We want people to know that they’ve been heard.”
As for the design, TLC recommends the new green space be designed for four seasons, be distinct from Creemore’s other parks, celebrates and strengthens the impact of the Creemore Horticultural Society and encapsulates the ideals, unique scale and character of Creemore as befits a landmark on a commercial street.
“The committee feels we have created a nice roadmap and touchstones for the Foundation,” said Hershoff.
In terms of next steps, TLC will hand off the design guidelines created by Small (which will serve as a launching point for the design firm) for the green space to the Foundation as its final task before dissolving the committee.
Stuart Lazier will represent the Foundation on a newly formed TLC build team, which will see the plan through to fruition. Part of the process will be further community consultation on the actual design of the “village green.”
Lazier said there is a process to be followed and permits to be secured but the hope is that the TD Bank building will be torn down in the fall and the construction and landscaping work will begin the following spring.
The build team, chaired by landscape architect Inese Bite, will be tasked with selecting a landscape design firm to complete the design, work with stakeholders on the concepts before completing the detailed design, get bids and hire a contractor.
The plan is to allow the Horticultural Society to get in there to move some of the plants, so they can save as much as possible.
“I don’t want to set false expectations that we’re going to get started fully this fall, although I would like to do that,” said Lazier.
He said there will be no disruptions to the site this summer.
Rounding out the build team is builder John Gordon, Clearview Township’s head planner Mara Burton, Creemore Horticultural Society president Judi Parker and yoga teacher Sass Dempsey.
Lazier said Dempsey will act as a community liaison of sorts, making sure there is community input and an outward-thinking approach, and getting input at the right points. Basically, making sure the community is never left uninformed.
“We want to make sure we are open and transparent… This is going to be a different project where there is a lot of stakeholder and community input throughout the process,” said Lazier.
The Foundation, said Lazier, will hire a full-time programming coordinator and a part-time maintenance worker. They will report to an independent committee but their salaries will be paid by the Foundation.
The Foundation is soliciting donations and is able to issue tax receipts.
For background, when the TD Bank closed, Lazier and Tony Arrell facilitated the donation of the property with a vision of creating an expanded village green, to enhance Creemore’s downtown.
Arrell explained his interest in the project, saying he has been coming to his area farm for 17 years and sees that Creemore has a really bright future, especially with a shift to people working remotely, or from home.
“Creemore will be very appealing and we hope to make its future even brighter with this transformational project,” said Arrell.
The Creemore Community Foundation was established to handle the finances and to fund a community consultation process facilitated by planners with Small.