TERESA
ASMAN
INNER CITY GREEN SPACES
Continuing our theme of celebrating inner city green spaces, Teresa Asman
shares the remarkable beauty on her doorstep in Port Alberti, British
Columbia, Canada. You can see more of Teresa’s writing and images in her
blog at https://ladybuggz.wordpress.com.
Gaiga Square: A new downtown green space that was just
recently opened, what used to be there was an old Hotel, it
burnt down many years ago and the lot sat vacant covered
with ruble and dirt.
Now it’s been turned into a private park open to everyone
in downtown Port Alberni, situated on the corner of 3rd Ave
and Angus St. opened Friday July 1st 2016 ( Canada Day).
It is named after Stacey & Franco Gaiga who spent their life
savings to transform an empty lot into a public green space.
It’s main feature is an 11 ft. tall native carving done native
Artist Gordon Dick, it represents the importance of the West
Coast Salmon (as seen below) to the lives of the many tribes
from the area.
It is full of wonderful plants and a fountain with lots of
seating, a great addition to our little city! I can’t wait to see it
a few years from now when the plants and tree’s have grown
in and it will have more shade.
During the day it’s a bustling little spot where people from
surrounding business’s and all the tourist’s go and sit at the
picnic tables w/umbrella’s (that are out during the day) to
have their coffee or eat their lunch’s or just to photograph
the impressive native carving that graces the front of the
park.
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