Charlottetown councillor wants Victoria Park pavilion relocated

Charlottetown city councillor Mitchell Tweel says Victoria Park is the wrong place to have a pavilion for events and concerts, and that a move to the event grounds may be the solution.  

Tweel, who chairs the city's parks, recreation, and leisure activities committee, said he opposed the location of the building when it was first presented to council.

"I knew that … there was going to be a lot of issues and a lot of opposition as to entertainment in the park," he said. "So maybe we need to look at the pavilion and ask the question: 'Is it in the right location?'"

On Wednesday, Island musician Michael Pendergast said he had received a chilly reception when he proposed a city-funded concert series to be held at the Victoria Park pavilion. He was told his pitch would be considered during budget talks this spring, though.

Tweel said the solution may be to move the pavilion to another under-utilized location in the city: the Charlottetown Event Grounds near Hillsborough Bridge. He said the city should be looking at partnering with the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation, and helping make the tract of land used for some concerts and festivals more "aesthetically pleasing."

"It's not being utilized either, so maybe we can create a win-win and have the pavilion relocated to the event grounds," he said. 

If the pavilion is relocated to an area designated to host events, Tweel argued there would be less opposition to using it for outdoor entertainment as Pendergast had proposed.

"We can have the pavilion going as much as possible, giving the Island entertainment community that option and that opportunity," Tweel said.

The CADC is set to meet with the city and province next week to determine the timelines for a realignment of Water Street, and discuss next steps in the Eastern Gateway Waterfront Master Plan.

That plan includes proposed changes to make the area — including the events grounds — more pedestrian friendly.

The head of the corporation expects to be able to speak on the next steps in the Eastern Gateway development by the end of March.