Village Green would create substantive opportunities

Editor:
Creemore has a decision to make: What to do with an old bank building?
Interestingly, we’ve been here before.
The heritage building that housed the original TD bank was constructed in 1903 and was turned over to the Village of Creemore in 1960, when the existing TD bank building opened beside it. Seven years went by before the old bank building became the local library as a Centennial project. It is now home to the Bank Cafe.
Unlike its next-door neighbour to the south, the existing TD bank building is not unique and is of no architectural or built heritage merit. The imposing, modernist, cube-like structure contrasts sharply with the heritage buildings along Mill Street and blocks the view of and access to the Horticultural Park, “Children’s Dress-up Dance” fountain, Station on the Green, Library and Creemore Jail.
Creemore does not need additional commercial space. Indeed, retailers and restaurants close with frequency and it is a challenge to retain existing businesses and attract new ones to fill the void. What happens when the TD bank building is retrofitted and refurbished at substantial cost and then sits vacant?
Prior to 1960, the land on which the existing TD bank building is located was open space, since it closely abutted the former railway corridor. Removal of the TD bank building would allow for the expansion of the Horticultural Park and alleviate the constricted access from Mill Street into the park. Reclamation of the land would serve to enlarge a small, underutilized park and create a more welcoming and immersive public space that would act as a central focus in the heart of Creemore and would provide the opportunity for residents and visitors to participate in a range of activities throughout the year (e.g., the park could be utilized during community events).
With the TD bank building edited from the streetscape, sight lines would reopen, and a public space enhanced to encourage physical connections and flow between a network of destinations. People on Mill Street would be able to see and hear the fountain and be drawn through the park toward the energy and activity of the Farmers’ Market at Station on the Green, and on toward the Library and Creemore Jail. Substantive opportunities would be created for residents and tourists to interact socially and meet informally.
With the TD lands donation, the Village of Creemore has an incredibly rare, once in a lifetime opportunity to reinvent and significantly enhance the public domain and contribute to the evolution of Mill Street.
Simply put, the building is a liability. The land is an asset.
Carolyn Lane,
Mulmur.