Dog-accessible water fountains, outdoor naturalized play spaces, and upgrades to an outdoor ice rink are among the projects that will be funded by the city to better neighbourhoods throughout London.
The city announced the winning projects in the sixth annual Neighbourhood Decision Making program on Monday. This time around, a total of 15 projects will share the $250,000 in city funding to go from a nice idea to a reality.
For the program, the city is divided into five geographic areas with residents then encouraged to submit ideas they believe would improve the quality of their neighbourhood. Those ideas are then vetted and costed out by city staff and voted on by residents. Each individual project proposed is eligible to receive up to $30,000 for its implementation.
This year, 326 ideas were pitched with 110 deemed feasible. Voting took place online, in-person, and over the phone between November 13 to 18 with 12,229 votes cast by Londoners. That is a 23 per cent increase in voting compared to last year.
"City staff are excited to work with residents to bring the winning ideas to life over the next year, including new ways to enjoy the outdoors, play, and build social connection throughout London,” said Jennifer Martino, the city's manager of neighbourhood development and support, “Thank you to every Londoner who submitted an idea, big or small, and to voters for supporting their neighbours.”
The 15 winning projects will be implemented by the end of next year.
The winning projects are as follows:
Central:
Outdoor Exercise Equipment in Gibbons Park: $30,000
Dog Accessible Water Fountain in Victoria Park: $20,000
Northwest:
Boardwalk Installation and Trail Signs in Medway Environmentally Significant Area: $30,000
Tree Planting at St. Nicholas Catholic School: $5,000
Picnic Tables in Sherwood Forest Park: $13,000
London's Free Fruit: Creating a Culture of Sharing at St. Aidan's Church: $2,000
Northeast:
Outdoor Naturalized Play Space at Northbrae Public School: $30,000
Outdoor Naturalized Play Space at Louise Arbour French Immersion Public School: $20,000
Southwest:
Upgrades for Talbot Village Community Outdoor Ice Rink: $2,000
London's Free Fruit: Creating a Culture of Sharing in Grand View Park: $5,000
Outdoor Movie Equipment in Byron: $15,600
Half Basketball Court in Jesse Davidson Park: $27,400
Southeast:
Benches and Picnic Tables at East Lions Park: $15,000
Water Bottle Refill Station in Kiwanis Park: $30,000
Commemorative Buddy Benches at Princess Anne French Immersion: $5,000
Londoners can review the results of the 2023 Neighbourhood Decision Making program at london.ca/neighbourhood-decision-making-2023-voting-results.
