LITTLE BRITAIN TOT LOT
Image of the Little Britain Tot Lot front entrance highlighting the amount of dog waste that is left when the garbage is removed from the park.
Living in Sudbury could make anyone believe that it is a rapidly growing city, and the bustling hub of Northern Ontario, but taking a walk down Durham St reveals more empty windows than “open” signs. Every week, a new article seems to materialize that explains that, in spite of the owners’ best efforts, they have to close down their business, leaving their building to run down as no new business comes to take its place. The city of Sudbury will posture to care about their city's abandonment, but they sit behind their walls of bureaucratic hurdles, to avoid making any meaningful change. This pattern of run-down and closed buildings outnumbering their counterparts becomes even more pronounced with smaller buildings in local suburbs. One such example of this is the Little Britain Tot Lot.
The Little Britain Tot Lot is the only park in the Little Britain community, and it has been all but abandoned by the city. During the winter there is not even a garbage can on the property. Within the Little Britain Tot Lot is a series of playground structures, a large sandbox and a small single-storey building that has been condemned for demolition for years. The park itself is fully enclosed by a chain-link fence, save for its entrance which has an airlock-style opening, but lacks gates on either end of the lock. By the level of care the Sudbury provides, it would be assumed that the park is used by no one, but that is far from the case. Kids run and scream around the park, dog walkers let their dogs off leash, and even young adults use the park as a popular hangout spot. This park is used by everyone in the community throughout the year and should be treated accordingly.
There are two levels of repair that the city of Sudbury should implement to fix the Little Britain Tot Lot. The cheap and effective method would be to simply leave a garbage bin at the park year-round, and to add a gate to the entrance. In the park's current state, it has a garbage bin located at the entrance during the summer months and is emptied once every two weeks, but by October the bin is removed to save the city money. By doing so, the city leaves the park vulnerable to its filth. Dogs will still need to defecate outside, and removing the garbage bin only serves to remove the sole location for walkers to put their dog’s waste. During the winter, piles of these poop bags can be seen by the entrance of the park as dog owners have no place to throw them away. (Figure 1) Adding a cheap gate to the front entrance would also benefit the park's usage by allowing dog owners and parents the peace of mind that their charge will not be able to escape. Adding the gate would be a simple one-time investment that would go a long way in encouraging people to use the park more often.
The second level of repair that would greatly benefit the Little Britain Tot Lot is the renovation and restoration of the existing building in the park. This building is a small one-storey house that has a rustic wooden log exterior with a concrete base and a relatively small gross floor area of 817 sq.ft.¹ Having been abandoned for many years, it has been slated for demolition for eight years as of 2024, while the city waits for money to appear in the budget for the endeavour. The question I pose for this level of repair to the Little Britain Tot lot, is: Why destroy a perfectly functional building that is a prominent location in the local community? This building should not be destroyed when it can be so much more with just a little imagination and some funding. This building could be the landmark of the community very easily, as a destination for parents to rest while their children play in the park, or a place for dog walkers to interact while their pets play together. It could be a place for young adults to meet before they embark on their night plans, or a resting spot for hikers coming off their adventure through the forests nearby.
The renovation does not need to be extremely intrusive. The only purpose the building needs to serve is to be a warm resting spot for the locals to sit within during the cold of the winter, or a spot of shade during the hot summers. Removing the building from the Little Britain Tot Lot will only do the park and Little Britain, as a whole, a disservice.
Notes:
1. City of Sudbury, "Accessible Parks” (Sudbury, November 29, 2016).