Councillor Kelly Broome: Creating #MyMulock Property Together

Many of the green spaces and historical homes that need protecting most today are in our own communities. Too many places have missed the opportunity to plan, protect and preserve incredible places like the Mulock Property.  Our history is our memories and a source of wisdom and strength that together we will benefit from forever.  After all, we can all sit in the shade today because a long time ago someone very thoughtful planned ahead and planted a tree.

Yesterday Tuesday, June 8th at the Special Council Meeting, the Town of Newmarket Council unanimously approved a budget of $40 million in capital spending authority for the development of the Mulock Property. There will be no property tax impact for residents because the project will be funded through development charges, assessment growth, and other funding sources. The vision for the Mulock Property was born from your feedback through an extensive public engagement process and we are confident that it will become one of the very best parks in the GTA. This park, when complete, will stand the test of time, and be enjoyed by us and many generations to come.

The development charges that will be used to fund the Mulock Property were collected and continue to be collected from developers for the purpose of building parks and recreational spaces for the community and can only be used for these purposes. The municipality can use development charges to pay for ‘hard services’ such as water, waste management, or roads, and ‘soft services’ such as recreation centers, libraries, or parks.  Other funding sources for the property include, but are not limited to parkland contributions, community benefit charges, dedicated reserves for trails and/or public art, and potentially grants and sponsorship.

 Through the two-year public engagement process, many residents and stakeholders indicated their desire to preserve the natural features of the property. The final master plan was approved by Council on April 20, 2021, and is a combination of preserving the natural features and a series of enhancements that include art, recreation, education, community gathering, and garden/landscape experiences. It is estimated that the property will be open for community use in 2024/2025 with construction targeted to hopefully begin in 2022.

Some features to highlight include:

A Riverine Fountain
A Bridge Entryway Art Feature
The Historic House
A Skate Pond, Wet Plaza, and Pavilion
Skating trails in the winter and walking trails in the spring/summer
Conservatory and Diversity Gardens
Historic Gardens, The Green, and an Artist Studio
Tree playground which will connect with Jim Bond Park and more.

With the endorsement of the final master plan, and now approval of the budget, the next steps in the implementation phase will include preparing the detailed designs over the next several months and procuring construction contracts to build the park.

I am very proud of our community and grateful to have a team of forward-thinkers working together on this project.  Stay up to date on the next steps in creating #MyMulock follow https://www.heynewmarket.ca/Mulock-Property

By working together, sharing information, ideas and being engaged in our community we can achieve great things for Newmarket.

with gratitude,

Kelly Broome
Councillor - Ward 6
Newmarket, Ontario