Local History:
History of Gore Park (8)
The question of the Gore Park fence arose again during this decade when, in May of 1909 William Southam offered to buy and "erect 12 ornamental poles on Gore Park provided the iron fence is removed". After listening to the clamour of the citizenry outside the gates, on October 20 they decided to send a Subcommittee on Gore Fence to the Board of Works to "ascertain what part of the expense they would assume should the Board decide to remove the fence." The Board of Works was willing and in December the Parks Board voted "That the fence surrounding Gore Park be removed and that a cement curb be erected provided the citizens who signed [the] petition for fence removal carry out the scheme for the erection of 12 more ornamental lamp posts." At long last the park was free of all access restrictions and available to the public twenty-four hours a day.
After finally gaining the long sought for access, a new threat arose. Stanley Mills offered the city of Hamilton $250,000 for Gore Park even though the current assessed value was only $50,000. He proposed to build a fifteen-storey business block on it to cost in the millions. "The firm would, if necessary to obtain the property, also undertake to maintain, for all time, a public park on the entire roof of the building." But the Councillors had finally learned their lesson. One of the Controllers stated, "It is worth more to the city than any man or firm could pay for it. Any public man who would seriously propose to sell it would be ringing his own death knell".
The next proposed expenditure created a huge turmoil. After an unsuccessful try before on January 8, 1912, a by-law was passed "for the issue of debentures to the amount of $18,500 to provide underground lavatories at or near the corner of Hughson and King Streets." There was a public referendum and the by-law passed 2,922 to 1,608. Of course women were not allowed to vote at that time and they became some of the most vehement objectors to the planned facilities.
Council had architect Peene complete all the plans and specifications and call for tenders. The next problem arose when the tenders were opened and were all too high. Mr. Peene was instructed to reduce his plans "to enable it to be constructed within the amount expropriated." After re-tendering the lowest bid was still too high and council bowed to the inevitable. They accepted that tender and voted to take the additional $4,500 from the contingency fund to make up the difference. By February 1913 they were finished and attendants had been hired. Two married couples were hired to cover two shifts. The husbands were paid $600 annually and the wives $300. This vast difference was explained by the Committee who said that they "took into consideration that the male attendants take the heavy work of attending the furnaces, etc."
