Dec 3

Dec 3 New Lights & Artwork Enhance the St. Thomas Elevated Park

Photo: Serge Lavoie of the St. Thomas Elevated Park with Andrew Gunn and Emily Stage of young & free press. Andrew and Emily are serving currently as Consultants on the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell.

The St. Thomas Elevated Park has become one of the top tourism destinations in southwestern Ontario, and the experience of visiting this walkway in the sky is about to become even more memorable!

Earlier this year, our team at young & free press announced a major donation from the Estate of Donna Bushell to support enhancements to the Elevated Park, including grass, electricity and path lighting. Now, we are excited to share that the Bushell Estate will also fund a massive new mural at the base of the bridge on one of the concrete piers located between Sunset Road and Fingal Line!

To be designed and executed by renowned mural artist Daniel Bombardier, who goes by the name Denial, the mural will measure some 85 feet high by 40 feet wide at the base. This work of art is part of the ongoing ‘Track to the Future’ project coordinated by the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation and Railway City Tourism, and will add to the growing collection of stunning murals around St. Thomas.

Andrew Gunn and Emily Stage of young & free press highlight the concrete pier beneath the St. Thomas Elevated Park that will soon be the site of a massive new mural by renowned artist Denial. Specifically, the mural will cover the entire side of… — Andrew Gunn and Emily Stage of *young & free press* highlight the concrete pier beneath the St. Thomas Elevated Park that will soon be the site of a massive new mural by renowned artist Denial. Specifically, the mural will cover the entire side of the pier directly behind Andrew in the photo.

Beyond our social media work and partnerships with private companies, tourism organizations, and business associations, the teenage staff members at young & free press act as consultants alongside owner Andrew Gunn through his consulting firm, Andrew Gunn Consulting Inc. This gives our young team the opportunity to provide ideas and develop unique community projects! Currently, we are acting as consultants on the Bushell Estate. Donna Bushell passed away in November 2019 in her hundredth year. Over the past seven months, we have taken the lead on announcing more than $2.5M in donations from the Estate.

"We are excited to see the Track to the Future mural project continuing with this signature new mural at the St. Thomas Elevated Park to kick off the 2021 season,” remarked Megan Pickersgill, Manager of Railway City Tourism. “We could not imagine a better location to help create additional awareness around the Park and its storied railway history! It will be a fantastic way as well to pull people up from Sunset Drive into exploring our City and our many murals."

“All the new improvements at the St. Thomas Elevated Park are wonderful,” notes Andrew Gunn, Consultant on the Estate of Donna Bushell. “The pathway lighting brightens up the Park and provides the city with a stunning new skyline at night. Now, we are looking forward to the development of the design for the new mural on one of the concrete piers of the bridge. This will be a new landmark for the community, and will further distinguish St. Thomas as a genuine tourism destination in our region. We cannot wait to see the mural take shape in spring 2021!”

Additional features supported by the Bushell Estate at the Park include the new Western Gateway, tree planting along the ‘Arboretum Line’, as well as the ‘Art, Trees & Trails’ project currently in progress through a partnership with the St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre. All of these will be completed in 2021.

Notes on the St. Thomas Elevated Park project

On Track St. Thomas, a non-profit organization established in 1994, purchased the MCR bridge in 2013 along with four kilometres of associated trail land. No grants from any level of government have gone into the purchase of the land or construction of the park. Donations from local sources make up the majority of the investments to date, including major financial support from Doug Tarry Homes, Hayhoe, Geerlinks Home Hardware, Entegrus and Nicli Aggregates. Key funding has also been received from the Trans Canada Trail Foundation. In addition, hundreds of hours of volunteer hours have gone into the landscaping work done by members of the St. Thomas District Horticultural Society. The St. Thomas Elevated Park is a Canadian first.

The present bridge, the third at this site, was built in 1929. During construction, the passenger and freight traffic was never stopped or detoured, making the project an engineering feat of its day. This ingenuity lead to the bridge being designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Site by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering in 2000.

Notes on the St. Thomas EDC and Railway City Tourism

Established in 1957, the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and is one of the oldest such organizations in Canada, serving the City of St. Thomas with the mission of improving the quality of life for all citizens of the community. In 2013, the EDC and the City recognized that Tourism plays a large role in achieving that mission, which led to the creation of Railway City Tourism.

Notes on the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell

Donna Vera Evans Bushell passed away November 9, 2019, in her hundredth year, the last of her family. Donna’s passion was to plant trees and reminisce about her ancestors and friends while her sister Doris Evans taught music as a church organist. The oldest sister, Thelma Joiner, taught elementary school around Aylmer for forty-five years and researched local North Yarmouth history. All three sisters shared a love of their heritage as descendants of the pioneer Westlake, Penhale and Gilbert families who settled along the North Edgeware Road in Yarmouth. Their collected historical papers will eventually be deposited in the Elgin County Archives. More than $2.5M has been allocated from the Estate to date in support of a series of exciting projects in Elgin County and St. Thomas.