In the wake of Goderich’s 2011 tornado, the Town was devastated and lost 90+% of their tree canopy. In the epicenter of the tornado path was Courthouse Square Park, the Green Jewel of the Town. A coordinated effort between the Town of Goderich and The Planning Partnership resulted in a master plan for the rebuild of the Town, with strategies to restore canopies along streets and gateways to the Town centre, and a focused plan for the redesign of Courthouse Square and the surrounding park at the centre of the downtown business area.
The Planning Partnership helped implement the plan, with the completion of phase one in the Fall of 2014. This first phase included the completion of the re-envisioned Courthouse Square Park, which now acts as a arboretum with some of the most diverse plantings of any park this size in Ontario. In fact, Courthouse Square now boasts one of the most significant transplanting of large trees that has ever been undertaken in Canada. In all, The Planning Partnership has facilitated the plantings of more than 150 trees, categorized as 44 small trees, 93 medium trees, and 20 large trees. What has been particularly interesting about this project is that the small trees still have an over 6? caliper, some of which are 20? tall, and our large trees have canopies up to 50-60? with 30? spreads.
After the devastation of 2011’s tornado, the Town acted quickly and TPP facilitated a plan and design that updated and restored the Town centre, transforming the downtown into the destination it was always meant to be.
