The oval has proved very popular and has been generating a lot of public interest lately – so much in fact that the city is considering making it a permanent fixture on the commons.
The oval is great. Before its creation, Halifax had no winter communal gathering spots. I’ve always felt we don’t know how to enjoy winter here in Halifax. The slushy climate does not help. Yet the oval is proof that Haligonians will get out during winter evenings and socialize if the right urban amenities are provided.
That being said, the oval as is leaves much to be desired - I’m thinking primarily about the infrastructure around it. Presently there is a loose, ad hoc collection of trailers and sheds around the ice surface. When I’ve been there there were no skating mats leading to the porta-potties, or to the campire and picnic tables near the beavertail hut.
If the oval is to be permanent the spaces around it, its servant buildings and infrastructure, should be designed. They should be functional and beautiful to the eye, and we ought to design it! The next few months are an opportune time to volunteer a proposal as it would piggyback on all the public support being generated, and it would give us the chance to lead the debate on what to do with the oval.
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