Mulock Park News and Updates

1. Geothermal heating and cooling at the Mulock House, Greenhouse Conservatory, and Artist Studio using a geothermal wellfield. This is estimated to save 500+ tonnes of CO2 by 2050.
   

1. A solar shade on the Mulock Drive parking lot will provide 50 kilowatt generating capacity – equivalent to all the lighting and domestic plugs in the Mulock House and buildings.
   

1. Replacing windows, doors and improving the insulation of the historic Mulock House, cutting energy use by more than half! Saving 600+ tonnes of CO2 by 2050.
   

1. Using permeable pavement and rain gardens to replenish groundwater. This means rain will go back into the earth instead of being lost in storm drains. more than 6000 square feet (565 square metres) rain gardens are provided, fully 1% of site area.
   

1. Encouraging active transportation with over 2 kilometres of new multi-use trails and connections to the Mulock Drive Multi-Use Path, Yonge Street bike lanes, Ray Twinney Recreation Complex, York Region Transit, and Viva routes.

• Tree protection fencing has been placed around trees and their roots to ensure they are protected during construction. Some of the fencing will even remain after the park opens to allow nature to re-establish itself in reforested areas. This is an important part of the Town’s tree stewardship strategy which will keep the site natural, increasing the total tree cover for coming generations.

• Selective tree removal is nearly complete. The Town is protecting as many trees as possible, and replacing every tree removed with more than three new trees. The site may look more open now, during the construction process. Rest assured it will not only be restored, but much improved. New trees will be planted at the end of the project. You can find out more about the thoughtful tree stewardship strategy for Mulock Park in this article.

• A temporary chain link fence has been installed to secure the work site and keep the public from entering an active construction zone.

• Geothermal Well testing on the Great Lawn. People passing the Mulock Park site may have seen the tracked drilling rig located on the future Great Lawn. The Mulock House, Greenhouse Conservatory, and Artist Studio will be heated and cooled using an environmentally friendly ground source heat pump system. Temperature measurements taken at this test well will help the Town’s engineers adjust the system to work correctly.

• Some building demolition and revitalization. The existing pool house and garage will be demolished as they are at the end of their service lives. The garage site will be the location for the new Greenhouse Conservatory. The existing stable will be restored and converted into the artist studio. The stable will undergo selective, careful demolition to preserve key elements. Nearby residents can expect some noise when the pool house and garage come down.
  

• Earth-moving and excavation is expected to start later in March. All trucks are required to use Yonge Street or Mulock Drive for access. Neighbours may experience some noise, dust, and vibration, depending on the weather. We are working with the Contractor to minimize these impacts. Soil excavated on the site will be used to build new landscape features, saving on trucking costs and impacts.

• For every tree cut down, three will be planted.

• Trees that cannot be saved will be used in benches and other furniture onsite, landscaping, ground cover, and in some cases returned to the naturalized forest floor to feed the landscape and enhance the ecology. A major use is to create a log amphitheater for storytelling. Other trees may be re-used as part of the natural discovery playscape or in public art.

• New building sites have been carefully selected where they will not damage trees or roots.

• New paths and access roads follow existing routes, so that tree roots will be protected from further damage. For example, the skate trail follows a former driveway for the lowest impact on the trees.

• During construction, the Contractor is required to build and maintain temporary tree protection fencing to the arborist's approval.

• New plants are selected to re-naturalize the ground level in many forest areas. As trees reach the end of their natural lives in the future, they will be replaced with saplings which will grow from the forest floor, just as in nature.

• New trees planted will be native species which are adapted to our Region and provide habitat for native animals, birds, and insects.

• Trees will be removed along Mulock Drive to allow for the parking lot. The lot was carefully located to protect major trees. The Mulock Drive parking lot is also relatively small, with a bigger parking lot north of the park in the hydro corridor; this decision was made to protect and maximize the greenspace at the park.

• Poor quality, immature trees will be removed on the north end of the property for the Skate Trail. Mature, historical trees in this area are being preserved. The skate trail was carefully routed on a former driveway to make the lowest impact on the trees. The area around the skate trail is being re-naturalized and will be a very peaceful, treed area when complete.

• Cedar hedges planted around the Mulock House in modern times will be re-planted to keep them healthy, and carefully maintained.

• Smaller, immature trees in the Jim Bond Park area will be temporarily removed to build the playscape and then transplanted back.

• Access to Jim Bond Park is now closed for the duration of construction. It will re-open as part of Mulock Park. In this area, construction includes the creation of a Natural Discovery Playscape, maintenance building for the park, watermains, utility ducts, landscaping and forestry work.
  

• Selective tree removal is in progress. Read ‘In the News’ or ‘Tree Stewardship Program’ to learn more about the thought and care behind the selective tree removal to transform the residential property into a public park.
  

• Intermittent sidewalk closures on Mulock Drive – for your safety, the sidewalk will be closed for roughly 3-minute periods between 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Members of the construction team wearing yellow and orange vests and hard hats will be on the sidewalk to direct travellers during these short closures.

Work on the park will be focused on weekdays; however, some weekend work may be required. When needed, work on the weekend will be restricted to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and caution will be taken to reduce disruption.

• Seneca Cook Parkette (325 Clearmeadow Boulevard)

• Clare Salisbury Park (270 Clearmeadow Boulevard)

• George Luesby Park (385 Rita’s Avenue)

Thank you for your patience. We look forward to re-opening the area as part of Mulock Park.

• Fencing will go up to maintain a safe construction site and protect the public

• Tree protection fencing will be put in place to create a “no go” zone and ensure the trees are protected from construction traffic.

• Construction equipment will start rolling in to move the earth. Soil will be relocated on the site to minimize the number of trucks moving to and from our site and reduce our environmental footprint

• Traffic from construction vehicles may increase on Yonge Street and Mulock Drive during the week.

The Town reminds residents that, with any landscape and construction project, there will be some digging and removals happening before it can all be put together and come to life.