Foes of Officers' Square upgrade ask city not to rush loss of history, trees

After weeks of complaining about a lack of public consultation, opponents of the City of Fredericton's plan to modernizeOfficers' Square in the downtown got a chance to be heard.

More than 200 people came out to listen Tuesday night to more than a dozen speakers address the city'sdevelopment committeeabout a project that would add a skating oval andpermanentstageand make otherupgrades to the square, at the cost of the trees there now.

The city had already cut down some treesbefore hosting the public consultation meeting on Tuesday night.

Those whochastisedthe city for what seemed a rush to upgrade the public space were often greeted with cheers,applauseand standing ovations.

"If the reason these trees have to go is for a skating oval, I would imagine by the time any replacement trees got anywhere close to maturity, that skating oval is going to be long gone," saidNadine Ivesof the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.

"Cities around the world will grow around a tree," Ivessaid.

"Aparticularoak tree in Oakville hasitsown heritage designation. In Japan, a 700-year-old tree was protected when they built a train station around it.

"All over the world people are valuing their trees, and there's no reason we can't and we shouldn't value ours in the same way."

The city has met fierce opposition fromseveralgroups since theannouncement the century-old tree in the square has to go.

'The only way to identify these archeological remains is through detailed archeological excavation.Notby hauling our history away in the back of a dump truck."- JasonJeandron, Fredericton archeologist

Many have been displeased with the communication from the city.

Beth Biggs of the Save Officers' Square Community Group, requested a motion from the committee to immediately halt all construction at Officers'Square, and bring the matter before city council.

Biggssaid she has collected 7,891 signatures from people who support the move.

She raisedthe stack above her head to a cheering crowd.

City clerkJennifer Murray said the feedback will be taken into consideration as the project moves forward.

In an interview withInformation Morning Fredericton on Wednesday,Coun. BruceGrandy, the chair of the development committee, couldn't say whether council could, or would, make any changes to plans for the upgrade based on the public consultation.

But he said there are two sides to the issue, andhe's heard froma "large number" of people who support the project.

Heritage and history

Saving the trees was not the only concern speakers during the consultation raised about plans for Officers' Square.

Several people concerned aboutpreservingthe history of the square also presented arguments against the city'splans.

Grand Chief Ron Tremblay, the traditional chief of theWolastoqGrand Council, urged Mayor Mike O'Brien to respect the land in question anditsconnection to those who used it for thousands of years before.

"Our greatest mother, the Earth, she gives us everything we need:food, clothing, shelter," said Tremblay.

"She produces thosemagnificentdinosaurs of tree at Officers' Square that helps us breathe, that gives us the natural air-conditioning in the summer, which I love sitting down and watching concerts there. It's a beautiful place to do that."

Historians also voiced their worry about proper excavation of the site during construction.Recognizedas a site significant to the history of theCanadian army, and the formation of the Royal Canadian Regiment on Dec. 21, 1883, there is concern that artifacts remain underfoot in the space.

"The only way to identify these archeological remains is through detailed archeological excavation," said JasonJeandron,an archeologistin Fredericton.

"Notby hauling our history away in the back of a dump truck."