Plan includes reorganized road system and new entrance to the Arboretum via College Avenue
The Arboretum Master Plan Steering Committee has completed a final draft of a new master plan and is seeking final comments from the University and general community.
The new master plan, which is scheduled to go before Board of Governors in December, will be reviewed by B of G's Physical Resources and Property Committee Nov. 24.
The draft plan has been in development over the past 10 months and has involved an extensive consultative process. This has included three public meetings, sessions with stakeholder groups, a visioning session and community submissions. A study team also conducted a thorough assessment of the Arboretum to identify key issues, and focus groups were formed to address issues and concerns, including funding limitations, deferred maintenance and improvements to access and roadways.
The draft plan incorporates feedback and suggestions from this process and includes both a new vision for the Arboretum and new physical and financial plans.
“We'd like to hear from our community one last time before presenting the draft of the master plan to the committee and Board of Governors,” says Robin-Lee Norris, a board member who is chairing the committee.
Copies of the master plan are available in the McLaughlin Library and at the Arboretum, and will soon be available on the Internet. For more information, call the Arboretum at Ext. 52113.
The draft master plan was designed to be a working tool and includes a reorganized road system and a new entrance via College Avenue. The plan also suggests creating a promenade that would lead to the existing Arboretum Centre, integrating two historical houses into the Arboretum's programming, and assessing the future needs for collections, gardens and natural areas management.
An operational plan will accompany the physical master plan to explore how to implement objectives developed during the planning process.
This includes research, education, outreach, fundraising, resource requirements and future positioning of the Arboretum within the University.
It's been 18 years since the Arboretum master plan was last updated. The first plan was completed in 1970 when B of G approved dedicating 330 acres of campus property for a “living laboratory” for research and teaching. At the time, it consisted mostly of fields that were used as test plots for the Ontario Agricultural College.
