Banners at Library Square designed to be a “celebration” of things to come

March 25, 2021 · 0 Comments

It will be more than a year and a half until Library Square is ready for occupancy, but, if you want a sneak peek, the fences surrounding the construction site at Victoria and Church Streets are now shining a light on things to come.

On Friday, members of the Town’s Library Square team were hard at work covering the blue metal fences, which have become synonymous with Library Square’s construction since ground was officially broken last summer, with banners celebrating the themes that have become driving forces of the development: arts, community, music, culture, history, and more.

“I wanted to give the community something to feel proud of, so when they are walking down here they get excited about the project,” says Katrina Estacio, Marketing and Creative Specialist for the Library Square project, who was on site hanging the bold banners alongside project manager Phil Rose-Donahoe and Louise Dyer of the Town. “I really wanted to capture the feel of what the space will be once it is open. It will be a place for community, a place for creativity, and we really wanted to get that out on the banners. From a social media standpoint too, I wanted to have them so vibrant people wanted to take pictures in front of them to create a buzz as well.”

The banners, which are now installed primarily on the Victoria Street side of the redevelopment project, are the first in a multi-phase banner program which is designed to not only entice visitors to the site but to become increasingly interactive as new phases roll out.

“I really wanted to focus on the community and what this place will leave for them,” continued Ms. Estacio. We’re nothing without the people who make this Town and this is what I really wanted to reflect here. It is a place for everyone and hopefully once COVID is over, it will be the place where everyone goes and gets to know everybody again.”

According to Mr. Rose-Donahoe, this is just one way the Library Square team has to engage the public.

“Currently on Church Street, facing south, the Aurora Public Library has put up a ‘yarn bomb’ activity as part of their Take & Make program where you can take the activity, do some yarn and they will put it up on the fence,” he says. “With their One Book One Aurora challenge [with novel] Chasing Painted Horses, there is a chalk wall in the book where one of the protagonists has in their kitchen and Reccia [Mandelcorn, the Library’s Manager of Community Engagement] and the staff want to replicate that in the summer on the fence around July or August to coincide with One Book One Aurora.

“We’ll have some chalk and people can write a message either about the book or about this project.”

Further installations will include “ribbon art” where people can come by with their family and friends and weave a design in and out through the bars on the fence.

“I think by the time this project is done over the next year and a half or so, we want as much of this construction fencing to become a canvas for something. And it also hides the dirt and the gross stuff that is happening on site!”

Outside of the construction itself, the next step of Library Square’s journey will be Council deciding on a final and permanent name for the community space, including the significant addition to the Church Street School, potentially as early as next month. In the meantime, feedback from the public, says Mr. Rose-Donahoe, is providing staff with a picture of how the community might use the facility once it is ready.

“What we’re hearing is people want it to be something different for each user group,” he says. “It is not just about arts, it is not just about culture, it is not just about theatre; it is about community, kickstarting the redevelopment of downtown, and I think one of the underlying things is collaboration and partnership, whether it is with Economic Development Groups, the BIA or local businesses.

“Of course, we have the Cultural Centre, Museum and Town and Library working together to animate that space. I think a lot of the words we’re getting are fun, community, creativity, innovation, a gathering place, I think people just want a place to go and have a coffee in the morning and sit on the plaza in the summertime, maybe do some skating in the wintertime. I think those are the key phrases we’re getting; moving away from Library Square and focusing on something that is a little bit more inclusive of all the partners that are part of this.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter