Snider Park: New green space coming to heart of Centretown

Centretown's new Snider Park will be a green space designed as a neighbourhood hub for gathering, public art and community programming in the heart of the city. Photo by ASHLEY FRASER /POSTMEDIA

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Kyle Ratchford‘s job as owner and operator Ahh!!! Coffee on Bayswater Avenue has many rewards. But what he mentions first and with no hesitation are the people.

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“It’s why I do what I do,” he told the Ottawa Citizen on Saturday, May 30, marking the brink of what will be an exciting month ahead.

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The Centretown Business Improvement Area (BIA) is turning a former event space into a new urban park that will officially open its doors on the second weekend of June.

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“(Snider Park) is an important injection of energy into a neighbourhood that maybe hasn’t had the best go of it in the last few years,” Ratchford said, adding that the park represented something “new and fresh” that was not always typical in the neighbourhood.

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Snider Park, located in the middle of Centretown at 150 Bank St., will now be a colourful urban hub “created to reflect the art, culture, creativity and community that define (the) neighbourhood.

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“We created this space because strong communities are built around places made for people. Places to meet up, slow down, work outside, listen to music, grab a coffee, connect with neighbours, or simply exist comfortably in the middle of the city,” Centretown BIA posted on social media.

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The park will have free and public WiFi and will be a “public space for art, live performances and community events.”

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The Centretown BIA said the park was built to support how people lived, worked and spent time downtown.

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Kyle Ratchford and his Ahh!!! Coffee team will expand into Centretown’s new Snider Park. Photo by ASHLEY FRASER /POSTMEDIA

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Ratchford and Ahh!!! Coffee will be a fixture in the community in the upcoming year. Ratchford said though there is an intention to make Snider Park permanent, this is only its pilot year.

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“Third spaces are incredibly important part of any community,” Ratchford said.

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The urban park will officially open with a pizza party and taco fest on June 13 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

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Kyle Ratchford and his Ahh!!! Coffee team are expanding into Centretown’s new Snider Park. Photo by ASHLEY FRASER /POSTMEDIA

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Centretown’s new Snider Park will be a green space designed as a neighbourhood hub for gathering, public art and community programming in the heart of the city. Photo by ASHLEY FRASER /POSTMEDIA

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Vacant storefronts on Bank Street offered a stark reminder of the challenges facing some of Centretown’s main commercial stretches as businesses work to bring renewed energy to the neighbourhood. Photo by ASHLEY FRASER /POSTMEDIA

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