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HomeMy WebLinkAboutKitchener Board of Park ManagementCity of Kitchener Corporate Archives Kitchener Board of Park Management fonds, 1894-1966. Prepared by: Christina Pflug June 2000 Updated by: Hilda Sturm August 2011 KITCHENER BOARD OF PARK MANAGEMENT fonds. - 1894-1966. - 2 m of textual records, 10 cm maps/plans/blueprints, 2 cm photographs. For 71 years, the Board of Park Management endeavoured to make the City of Kitchener a place of beauty, one in which its citizens could take pride. This goal to preserve the natural beauty of the land was accomplished primarily through the establishment of parks throughout the city. The Board was first convened in October 1894 with the purpose of establishing and caring for Berlin's parks. The Board was composed of the mayor and six individuals that were not members of Council. The members of the first Board were: C.F. Brown, J.S. Hoffman, L.J. Breithaupt, A. Lang, T. Bridger, W. Roos and Mayor D. Hibner. Although Berlin had a park prior to the establishment of the Board, later named Woodside Park, the first park to be created under the supervision of the Board was Victoria Park. The land for Victoria Park initially consisted of both the Athletic Club grounds and approximately 28 acres that had been purchased from Samuel Schneider. On August 27, 1896 the Board held a special ceremony to commemorate the official opening of Victoria Park. After 1896, various parks were established by the Board such as Breithaupt Park, which was created in 1913 and was composed primarily of land from L.J. and J.C. Breithaupt. In addition to creating parks, the Board was also responsible for the maintenance of the park lands which involved various activities such as re-sodding park property, installing playground equipment, and building swimming pools and ice rinks. Not only did the Board acquire land for the purpose of establishing a park, but it also occasionally sold small parcels of land to nearby residents or community groups. They also dealt with the requests of various clubs and athletic associations to use park property for special activities. In 1919 the Board agreed to take over responsibility for the maintenance of Mount Hope Cemetery and any cemeteries that would be established at a future date. In 1926 the City appointed a Special Committee to investigate the practices of the Board, however, no evidence indicating unlawful actions was found and a letter of apology was promptly issued. In 1965 the City of Kitchener established the Parks and Recreation Commission with the purpose of developing and supervising parks and recreation areas in a more effective manner. This new Commission took over the responsibilities of the Kitchener Recreation Commission and the Kitchener Board of Park Management. The Parks and Recreation Commission was composed of the head of the City Council, a member of the City Council and eight individuals appointed by the City Council. The fonds consists of minutes of Board meetings, correspondence, financial records, reports, Board and City by-laws, agendas, resolutions, blue prints and plans, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, photographs, and a seal. The records document the entire history of the Board and provide detailed information regarding the daily activities of the Board, the various programmes and services that were offered, and the administration of Kitchener's parks. In some instances, documents that exceed the time frame of the Board's existence have been included in the files in an effort to maintain continuity and to reflect the original order of the documents. For example, a particular service that was offered by the Board was frequently continued by its successor, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and either reference to the service will appear in both the Board and Commission fonds or, the entire file will have been placed in one fonds or the other. Prior to transfer to the archives, the records were sorted into an artificial structure by the Parks Operations Division to facilitate subject-based retrieval. However, an effort has been made to restore the documents to their original creating agencies, thereby resulting in the creation of four separate fonds: the Board of Park Management fonds, the Recreation Commission fonds, the Parks and Recreation Commission fonds, and the Parks and Recreation Department fonds. In this particular instance, the documents comprising this fonds have been arranged into eighteen series, three of which have several sub-series. In some cases, Parks Operations staff put dots and labels on original documents which have not been removed due to possible damage. Title based on the content of the fonds. Records transferred to the City of Kitchener upon the dissolution of the Board. 1: Minutes and Agendas. - 1894-1965. - 1 cm, 5 bound volumes. 1A. Minutes. - 1894-1965. - 5 bound volumes. 1 B. Agendas. - 1963-1965. - 1 cm. This series consists of the minutes of the Board of Park Management, which contain a mixture of newspaper clippings, accounting information, correspondence, and reports of the chairman and superintendent. An auditor's report is occasionally included in the minutes. The second sub- series contains agendas of the Board meetings from 1963-1965. An index of the minutes and agendas is available in Appendix A. 2: Resolutions. - 1963-1965. - 2.5 cm. This series contains the original resolution forms completed by members of the Board for use during Board meetings. In most cases the full text of these resolutions appears in the corresponding minutes; however some information is only summarized in the minutes. An index of the resolutions is available in Appendix B. 3: Members. - 1963-1965. - 1 cm. This series contains correspondence concerning appointments to the Board from the various participating groups. An index of the members is available in Appendix C. 4: By-laws. - 1895-1965. - 6.5 cm. 4A. Board By-laws. - 1895-1957. - 2.5 cm. 4B. City By-laws. - 1951-1965. - 4 cm. This series consists of both by-laws passed by the Board and City by- laws that pertain to the Board of Park Management and span a period of thirteen years. The latter are mostly schedules relating to specific parks. The by-laws were arranged alphabetically according to park and they have been kept in this order. An index of the by-laws is available in Appendix D. 5: Agreements. - 1948-1966. - 2.5 cm. This series consists of various agreements made between the Board and other organizations or individuals. The agreements include indentures, permission to operate concessions, land transfer agreements, sale of land, and permission to establish recreational areas. It also contains reports of various committees, some correspondence, copies of City by-laws, and several maps/plans. The agreements were arranged according to the individual party/applicant and this order has been maintained. An index of agreements is available in Appendix E. 6: Indentures. - 1895-1966. - 14 cm. This series consists of indentures of the Board of Park Management. The indentures for the initial fifty-five years were arranged chronologically; however, those for the remaining fifteen years were arranged according to proper name. The files have been left in this order. It should also be noted that the indentures include both originals and photocopies. An index of the indentures is available in Appendix F. 7: Insurance Policies. - 1908-1965. - 14 cm. This series consists of insurance policies held by the Board of Park Management. The policies are arranged in chronological order, however, rather than by type of insurance. An index of the insurance policies is available in Appendix G. 8: Victoria Park Subject Files. - 1894-1965. - 18 cm, 4 bound volumes. 8A. Athletic Park. - 1894-1916. - 2 cm. 8B. Structures. - 1906-1965. - 6 cm. 8C. General files. - 1895-1962. - 2 cm. 8D. Grand Stand. - 191- -1912, 1952. - 3 cm. 8E. Lake. - 1895-1963. - 1 cm. 8F. Lighting. - 1924. - 1 item. 8G. Trailer Camp. - 1959-1965. - 3 cm, 4 bound volumes. 8H. Wildlife. - 1912-1931. - 1 cm. This series documents the history of Victoria Park. It contains a mixture of items such as correspondence, maps/plans, blue prints, photographs, newspaper clippings, contract specifications, some financial information, reports, patent letters, stock information and agreements. As this was an artificial series that was arranged according to subject, and there was no indication regarding the original arrangement, this artificial construction has been retained. The files are arranged according to subject. An index of the subject files is available in Appendix H. 9: Facility Activity Records. - 1931-1966. - 1 cm, 5 bound volumes. This series consists of booking records for both the Athletic Park and Woodside Park, and swimming pool log books and attendance records for Woodside Pool. The items are arranged chronologically. An index of the facility activity records is available in Appendix I. 10: Correspondence. - 1894-1962. - 5 cm. This series comprises correspondence sent and received by the Kitchener Board of Park Management. The letters are arranged in chronological order. An index of correspondence is available in Appendix J. 11: Financial Records. - 1895-1965. - 21.5 cm, 7 bound volumes. This series consists of some of the financial records of the Board. It contains a variety of financial information and includes records such as proposals and tenders, estimates, invoices and statements, and accounts payable records. The files are arranged alphabetically; however the records within each file are arranged chronologically. An index of the financial records if available in Appendix K. 12: Facility and Equipment Records. - 1926-1963. - 4 cm. This series consists of a key log book for park buildings, an inventory book, plans of Breithaupt Park, and blue prints of Woodside Pool. Although the files are arranged alphabetically according to subject, the items within the files are arranged in chronological order. An index of the facility and equipment records is available in Appendix L 13: Ten Year Plan. - 1964. - 1 cm. This series contains the Ten Year Plan which outlines the Board's plans for park development. It addresses the future needs of the City and proposes several solutions to the increasing recreational/leisure needs of the community. The plan also describes the improvements should be made to the City's various parks. An index of the Ten Year Plan is available in Appendix M. 14: Consultant's Reports. - 1959-1963. - 2 cm. This series contains reports of various consultants relating to parkland in new developments. The files are arranged in chronological order. An index of the reports is available in Appendix N. 15: Scrapbooks. - 1950-1965. - 1 cm, 4 bound volumes. This series comprises of scrapbooks compiled by the staff of the Board of Park Management and are composed entirely of newspaper clippings. The clippings document the activities of the Board over a period of fifteen years. A file of selected newspaper clippings is also included. The scrapbooks are arranged chronologically; however, not all of the clippings are arranged in a strict chronological order within the scrapbooks. An index of the scrapbooks is available in Appendix O. 16: Reference Material. - 1904-1960. - 3 cm. This series contains a variety of reference material apparently retained by the Board. It includes documents such as patent rules and regulations, a by-law ballot act, and a brief history of Kitchener Parks and Town Planning. The files are arranged alphabetically according to subject heading. An index of the reference material is available in Appendix P. 17: Photographs. - n.d., 1959. - 2 cm. This series consists of photographs that document events and activities associated with the Board. They include photographs of the lights in the Athletic Park, of the reconstruction of the boathouse, of a flood, tree removal, and the annual Duck Dinner. The majority of the photographs are undated. An index of photographs is available in Appendix Q. 18: Artifacts. -191- . - 1 item. This series contains the official seal for the Board and hand seal press. An index of artifacts is available in Appendix R. For more specific information on Victoria Park, see: Victoria Park fonds APPENDIX A Series 1: Minutes and Agendas Sub-series 1A: Minutes Title Date Volume/Item Box Minutes 1894-1911 1-1 10844 Minutes 1911-1925 1-2 10844 Researcher's notes n.d 1-3 10844 Minutes 1925-1941 2-1 10842 Minutes 1942-1958 3-1 10840 Minutes 1959-1965 3-2 10840 Sub-series 1 B: Agendas Title Date Volume/Item Box Agendas 1963-1965 5-1 10814 APPENDIX B Series 2: Resolutions Title Date Volume/Item Box Written Resolutions 1963 5-2 10814 Written Resolutions 1964 5-3 10814 Written Resolutions 1965 5-4 10814 Policy Resolutions 1959-1964 5-5 10814 APPENDIX C Series 3: Members Title Date Volume/Item Box Members 1963-1965 5-6 10814 APPENDIX D Series 4: By-laws Sub-series 4A: Board By-laws Title Date Volume/Item Box By-laws (bound) 1895-1934 4-6 10832 By-laws 1895-1930 4-7 10832 By-laws 1895-1924 5-7 10814 By-laws 1931-1957 5-8 10814 Correspondence 1909-1910 5-9 10814 By-law no. 23 1931 5-10 10814 Sub-series 4B: City By-laws Title Date Volume/Item Box Park Properties Sold - Birchcliff Park 1951-1964 5-11 10814 Breithaupt Park - Guelph St. Park 196- 5-12 10814 Hibner Park- Kaufman Park 1961-1963 5-13 10814 Grand River Park - Lakeside Park 1960-1964 5-14 10814 Major Park - Victoria Park 1958-196- 5-15 10814 Waterworks Property - Woodside Park 1958-1964 5-16 10814 Other By-laws 1955-1965 5-17 10814 APPENDIX E Series 5: Agreements Title Date Volume/Item Box W.A. MacDonald 1954-1966 5-18 10814 Concessionaire - Kitchener Recreation Commission J. Hilker - 1948-1962 5-19 10814 D. Gallinger-K-W Panthers APPENDIX F Series 6: Indentures Title Date Volume/Item Box Indentures 1895-1912 5-20 10814 Indentures 1913 5-21 10814 Indentures 1914-1916 5-22 10814 Indentures 1917-1924 5-23 10814 Indentures 1925 5-24 10814 Indentures 1926-1928 5-25 10814 Indentures 1929-1937 5-26 10814 Indentures 1942-1946 5-27 10814 Indentures 1947-1949 5-28 10814 R.Ainlay-M.Jaeger 1952-1962 5-29 10814 Kitchener Public School Board- A. Sandrin 1955-1962 5-30 10814 H.K. Schaefer - H. Weidner 1951-1960 5-31 10814 APPENDIX G Series 7: Insurance Policies Title Date Volume/Item Box Insurance Policies 1908-1932 6-1 10812 Insurance Policies 1933 6-2 10812 Insurance Policies 1934-1937 6-3 10812 Insurance Policies 1938-1944 6-4 10812 Insurance Policies 1946-1965 6-5 10812 APPENDIX H Series 8: Victoria Park Subject Files Sub-series 8A: Athletic Park Title Date Volume/Item Box Agreements and Requests 1895-1915 6-6 10812 By-law Statistics 1916, [192-] 6-7 10812 General Correspondence 1912 6-8 10812 Petitions [189-] 6-9 10812 Sale of Athletic Park 1894-1895 6-10 10812 Patent Letters 1893 6-11 10812 Records & Stock Information 1893 6-12 10812 Sub-series 8 B: Structures Title Date Volume/Item Box Blue Prints *Contains oversize blue prints [c.a.1896]-1937 6-11 10812 Boathouse Contract Specifications 1929 6-12 10812 Bridges *Contains oversize blue prints 1906-1965 6-13 10812 Comfort Station, V.1 and 2 1909-1910 6-14 10812 Sub-series 8C: General files Title Date Volume/Item Box General files 1895-1901 6-15 10812 General files 1906-1909 6-16 10812 General files 1910-1912 6-17 10812 General files 1940, 1962 6-18 10812 Sub-series 8D: Grand Stand Title Date Volume/Item Box Agreements 1912 6-19 10812 Bill of Lumber 1911 6-20 10812 Correspondence 1910-1912 6-21 10812 List of Pariod Roofing Users 1911 6-22 10812 Memoranda re. Masonry Work Contract 1911 6-23 10812 Reports re. Grand Stand 1911-1912 6-24 10812 Rugby Field Diagram [190-] 6-25 10812 Specifications 1911, 1952 6-26 10812 Sub-series 8E: Lake Title Date Volume/Item Box Lake 1895-1963 6-27 10812 Sub-series 8F: Lighting Title Date Volume/Item Box Lighting 1924 6-28 10812 Sub-series 8G: Trailer Camp Title Date Volume/Item Box Revenue Book 1959-1960 7-1 10836 Revenue Book 1959-1962 7-2 10836 Receipt Book 1962 7-3 10836 Receipt Book 1963 7-4 10836 Picnic and Reunion Record Book 1963 6-29 10812 Licensing 1962-1964 6-30 10812 Guidelines 1964 6-31 10812 Parking 1964 6-32 10812 Revenue and Operation 1965 6-33 10812 Sub-series 8H: Wildlife Title Date Volume/Item Box Correspondence re. swans 1912-1931 6-34 10812 APPENDIX I Series 9: Facility Activity Records Title Date Volume/Item Box Woodside Pool - 1931-1964 6-35 10812 Attendance Woodside Pool - 1936-1963 4-7 10832 Attendance Swimming Pool 1937-1956 7-5 10836 Log Book Woodside Pool - 1957-1962 7-6 10836 Log Book Athletic Park - 1963-1966 7-7 10836 Booking Record Woodside Park - 1963-1966 7-8 10836 Booking Record APPENDIX J Series 10: Correspondence Title Date Volume/Item Box General 1894-1895 6-36 10812 Correspondence General 1896 6-37 10812 Correspondence General 1912-1913 6-38 10812 Correspondence General 1945-1962 6-39 10812 Correspondence APPENDIX K Series 11: Financial Records Title Date Volume/Item Box Account book 1911 8-1 10834 Account book- refreshments 1931-1933 8-2 10834 Accounts Payable Records 1927 6-40 10812 Annual Financial Reports 1911-1919 8-3 10834 Audit Reports 1949-1952 6-41 10812 Audit Reports 1953-1957 6-42 10812 Blank Forms 1963-1965 6-43 10812 Cancelled Cheques V.1 and 2 1927 6-44 10812 Capital Budget Forecast 1961 6-45 10812 Cash Book 1896-1908 8-4 10812 City Grants 1960-1965 6-46 10812 City Treasurer's Semi-Annual Report 1964 6-47 10812 Estimates 1895, 1911-1912 6-48 10812 Invoices and 1895, Jan.1926- 6-49 10812 Statements Mar.1927 Invoices and May -Dec. 1927 6-50 10812 Statements Land Fund 1937-1939,1958- 9-1 10813 Account and 1965 Revenue and Expenditures Ledger 1944-1958 8-5 10834 Orders for 1960-1963 9-2 10813 Payment Proposals and 1909-1912 9-3 10813 Tenders Proposals and 1947-1948,1962 9-4 10813 Tenders Proposals and 1963-1965 9-5 10813 Tenders Receipt book 1908-1909 8-6 10834 Receipts 1907-1908 9-6 10813 Receipts 1909 9-7 10813 Receipts 1910-1911 9-8 10813 Record of Rents 1944-1946 9-9 10813 at Former Rumpel House Revenue book 1933-1943 8-7 10834 APPENDIX L Series 12: Facility and Equipment Records Title Date Volume/Item Box Key Log for Park n.d 9-10 10813 Buildings and Reference Data Kinsmen Wading n.d 9-11 10813 Pool -Blue Prints Inventory Book 1963 9-12 10813 Plans of ca.1912, 1953 9-13 10813 Breithaupt Park Woodside Pool 1926-1931 9-14 10813 Blue Prints V.1 and 2 APPENDIX M Series 13: Ten Year Plan Title Date Volume/Item Box Ten Year Plan 1964 9-15 10813 APPENDIX N Series 14: Consultant's Reports Title Date Volume/Item Box Consultant's 1959-1960 9-16 10813 Reports Consultant's 1961-1963 9-17 10813 Reports APPENDIX O Series 15: Scrapbooks Title Date Volume/Item Box Scrapbooks Mar.1950-Apr. 4-1 10832 1953 Scrapbooks Dec. 1961-Dec. 4-2 10832 1963 Scrapbooks Jan. 1964-Dec. 4-3 10832 1964 Scrapbooks Dec. 1964-Aug. 4-4 10832 1965 Newspaper 1914-1931 4-5 10832 Clippings APPENDIX P Series 16: Reference Material Title Date Volume/Item Box Department of 1911 9-18 10813 Agriculture - Copyright Act Twenty Eighth 1917 9-19 10813 Annual Report (City of Detroit) Bill 89 1960 9-20 10813 The By-law Ballot 1913 9-21 10813 Act Patent Rules and 1904-1915 9-22 10813 Regulations Story of Kitchener 1954 9-23 10813 Parks and Town Planning APPENDIX Q Series 17: Photographs Title Date Volume/Item Box Duck Dinner 1959 9-24 10813 Athletic Park Lights n.d. 9-25 10813 Boathouse Reconstruction n.d. 9-26 10813 Flood and Tree removal n.d. 9-27 10813 APPENDIX R Series 18: Artifacts Title Date Volume/Item Box Seal 191- 10-1 10138