DUNDAS DRIVING PARK PUBLIC ART COMPETITION PROJECT 2

Proposal Name: RESTING IN COMMUNITY MEMORY: The Dundas Driving Park Story Benches

Artist(s): Vilnis Cultural Design Works

CONCEPT STATEMENT

Sit, rest and reflect – this is the invitation offered to park visi-tors by the presence of the Dundas Driving Park Story Benches. Incorporating images and words, these four Story Benches will illuminate the history of the park and describe its many uses by the Dundas community over the past century-and-a-half. For 150 years, the Dundas Driving Park has been a public gathering place, acting as a “room without a roof,” for Dundas residents. The mul-tiplicity of activities and facilities offered at the park today rep-resents continuity with the past, beginning in the 1870s with the inception of horse harness racing. Clues to the park’s legacy as a community resource are present, in the form of the ring road that largely follows the route of the original racing oval, the bowl-ing green, the baseball diamond, and the looming presence of the Niagara Escarpment. For this project, four significant stories have been selected to illustrate the historical development of the park as a community resource. Each Story Bench will be placed in close proximity to the original location of the event or facility it describes. Moving from north to south, the following four sto-ries are addressed by the four Story Benches: ‘The Harness Rac-ing Story’, ‘The Children’s Wading Pool Story’, ‘The Lawn Bowling Story’, and ‘The 77th Wentworth Battalion Story’.

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION

A. The Harness Racing Story Bench is located along the pedestrian walkway close to the present ring road which follows the route of the former oval driving track. The bench shows swift horses pulling a sulky, and is inscribed with the following words:

In the 1860s, the Dundas Driving Park Association installed an oval track for harness racing, creating one of Canada’s earliest race courses. The thud of horse hooves on a dirt race track has given way to the rhythm of car tires on asphalt.

B. The Children’s Wading Pool Story Bench, with images of children surrounded by water, is located at the junction of two pedestrian walking paths close to the current splash pad. Inscribed text includes two statements:

I have fond childhood memories of picnics under massive acorn trees and hot sum-mer days splashing around the large wading pool. Adam Wilson

A wading pool was first installed in 1905 when a Citizens’ Committee was estab-lished to oversee Dundas Driving Park.

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION (Continued)

C. The Lawn Bowling Story Bench sits adjacent to the Dundas Lawn Bowling Club-house and along the curving pedestrian walkway. An active illustration of bowlers from the 1940s is inscribed with the following words:

Celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2014, the Dundas Lawn Bowling Club used a donated log cabin as its first clubhouse in the park in 1914.

D. The 77th Wentworth Battalion Story Bench is the southern-most bench located along the pedestrian walkway adjacent to the lawn area south of the Dundas Lawn Bowling Clubhouse. A late-19th century image of the Battalion’s band is inscribed with the following words:

The 77th Wentworth Battalion used the park grounds for training exercises in the 1870s. As one of the founding units of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, the 77th was an active participant in major military events from the Battle of Ridgeway to the Korean War.

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SITE AND ELEVATION DETAILS

Proposed Materials The benches will be fabricated from #316 stainless steel, a chromium-nickel stainless steel containing molybdenum and highly resistant to corrosion.

Preferred Method and Requirements for Installation Fabrication methods include laser cutting, laser etching, and welding. Each bench will be anchored in a concrete base set flush with the surrounding ground which should slope away from the base to prevent water pooling. Anchor mechanisms and details for installation have been indicated in Fig. 6.

Maintenance Guidelines Suppliers of #316 stainless steel recommend the following: • Dirt and mud can be removed using a non-abrasive sponge or cloth with warm water and a mild detergent. • Graffiti from marker pens or spray paint can be removed using a non-metallic abrasive pad or cloth in combination with alkaline or solvent paint strippers according to the type of paint. Care should be taken with abrasive pads to avoid scarring the surface. • Paint should not be removed by scraping as this will damage the surface. • Scratches can be minimized by rubbing non-metallic abrasive or Scotchbrite pads carefully on the surface. • Pads that have been used on carbon steel should not be used as the surface of the stainless steel will become contaminated with carbon steel particles, leading to rust staining. • Steel wool must not be used on stainless steel as this will lead to rust staining.

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