Ontario Construction News staff writer
The construction team behind the Meridian Place and Memorial Square project in Barrie has been recognized with an award from the Downtown Barrie Business Association (BIA).
Rutherford Contracting received the Landscape Ontario Award of Excellence for Commercial Construction (Multi-Residential and Industrial – Over $250,000). It recognizes “breathtaking design and master craftsmanship in landscape construction, maintenance and design projects.”
The Meridian Place and Memorial Square project is the largest public-private partnership in the history of downtown Barrie and was completed in June 2018. The multi-award-winning space hosts events and activities.
It was a joint initiative between the City of Barrie, the Downtown Barrie Business Association (BIA) and Meridian, who shared the $3.8 million bill.
The Landscape Ontario Award of Excellence recognizes “their outstanding work on the Meridian Place and Memorial Square.”
Meridian Place & Memorial Square accommodate large events, showcasing local talent and connecting the downtown to the beautiful waterfront. The facility boasts a variety of features that honours the past and provides a pedestrian-friendly space now and into future, and includes:
- Two fully accessible pedestrian promenades that allow for fluid movement from the waterfront to the Downtown;
- Unobstructed views out toward Kempenfelt Bay from Memorial Square, framed by Meridian Place’s modern stage canopy;
- Lush trees and green space creating the perfect backdrop to enjoy any of the three patios that line the space;
- A bronze inlay commemorating the Huron and Ouendat peoples who lived around the Kempenfelt Bay area, and the trade route they used – the Nine Mile Portage;
- A Cenotaph honouring our fallen veterans and supporting our military heritage: past, present and future. Memorial Square is now 10x the size it used to be;
- The Vimy Ridge Monument which houses an urn holding sacred soil, symbolic of the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917;
- Four red maple trees representing each of the four divisions of the Canadian Corps who fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
The site has been recognized with multiple awards, including provincial recognition as a multi-use civic public space. Accolades include:
- 2019 Ontario General Contrators Association – Ontario Builder Awards – Public Venue in Partnership with Rutherford Contractors (see more)
- 2018 Ontario Business Improvement Area Association (OBIAA) Award – Streetscape and Public Realm Improvements – Large (see more)
- 2018 Economic Developers Council of Ontario: Local Collaboration & Partnership: Honourable Mention
To take a virtual journey through the space, visit meridianplace.downtownbarrie.ca/the-place/.