The Brodie Street Redevelopment is a project that offers Yorkton an active green space in the heart of the city.
Anchored on the Broadway Street end by the new skateboard park the area is a shining example of what a cooperative community effort can achieve.
It took the entire city to get on board with the online voting process which secured Aviva Community Fund dollars which provided the lion's share of financing for the facility which has been talked about for Yorkton for years.
With the Aviva funding secured the City and the Province both anted up dollars to fully fund the park.
At the opposite end of the development, connected by a new asphalt pathway is Patrick Park Disc Golf Course. The course is one of those low-cost sport/activities which should see growing support as people come to recognize the combination of skill, and simplicity the sport offers.
For less that $50 players can become active in disc golf and enjoy the leisure and competitiveness of the course.
Of course between the two recreational facilities sits a storm water retention pond, part of a broader system of lagoons and ditches being created to try and alleviate the damage caused by rain events like the one experienced Canada Day 2010.
The pathway, which was recently opened, operates as a connector pathway from the Silver Height's area of the city to Broadway, and with Yorkton Business Improvement District funding in place to create lighting along the way, it is an excellent option for a leisurely walk.
But the area offers much more potential development to create low cost activities for residents of all ages.
The green space around the water tower, created in part by the removal of the brick treatment building with the opening of the city's new facility on Queen Street would be ideal for recreational development.
There is already talk it could be the site of a new City-funded play structure, providing younger children in the city core with access to a playground they are currently not close to.
There have also been suggestions made to the City's Community Development, Parks and Recreation Department to install facilities such as horseshoe pitches and bocce/petanque courts in the park area. In both cases they would offer sport/recreation opportunities to a generally older participant.
The area could become family oriented in terms of younger children using the playground, teens at the skateboard park, and dad and grandparents throwing some horseshoes.
Another fit would be an area for a radio control, off-road vehicle track. It is an activity/sport with appeal across a range of ages, and something currently missing from the recreational mosaic of the city.
The area is also ideal for Renaissance Yorkton to target with some outdoor art features.
That could include a structured graffiti wall which could be renewed on a regular basis and would fit in naturally with the skateboard park.
The area would also be perfect for a sculpture, or two to add to the enjoyment of a walk down the pathway.
What has been accomplished is already a significant feature for Yorkton, but the potential to make it an even more integral part of the downtown only requires planning and foresight.
