On Wednesday, June 12, the City of Quinte West celebrated the opening of the new Buster Alyea Children’s Garden.
The garden was officially opened following a ribbon-cutting ceremony with members of Quinte West Council, representatives from the O.G. (Buster) Alyea Trust, and Quinte West Public Library board members and staff.
The Buster Alyea Children’s Garden, located beside Quinte West City Hall and the Quinte West Public Library at 7 Creswell Dr., Trenton, features:
- An outdoor classroom with sitting rocks
- A turtle-shaped terrace that accommodates programming for large groups
- Butterfly and pollinator gardens that feature low-maintenance trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials that attract butterfly and moth species
“The Buster Alyea Children’s Garden is a beautiful addition to the natural landscape of Quinte West parks and open spaces,” said Mayor Jim Harrison. “Thanks to the generosity and planning by the Alyea family, the dedicated Buster Alyea Children’s Garden will grow to inspire the children of our community to interact with the natural world around them and learn in a thoughtfully designed garden.”
“Orloff George ‘Buster’ Alyea was a lifelong proponent for the creation and building of the Public Park Network that our community enjoys today and has for many years,” said Eben James Jr., representative of the O.G. Buster Alyea Trust. “He served as manager and secretary of the Trenton Parks Board and was the Mayor of Trenton in 1940. He had one daughter, Jean Bernice, who on her passing created the O.G. Buster Alyea Trust to invest in the improvement of this park which is named in his honour. The Buster Alyea Children’s Garden is an extension of his vision aimed at providing an immersive educational experience for children and visitors of all ages. We join our community in thanking the Alyea family for their continued generosity and kindness in providing this wonderful space for the use of generations to come.”
“The Quinte West Public Library is thrilled about the opening of the Buster Alyea Children’s Garden, a wonderful addition that will enhance our programming,” said Quinte West Public Library CEO Jeri-Lynn Thomas. “We look forward to hosting activities such as Music in the Garden, butterfly learning sessions, outdoor story time, and many more engaging events in this beautiful new space.”
The development of the garden began in the fall of 2023 and was completed in late spring 2024. The cost to create the garden (approximately $250,000) was fully funded by the O.G. (Buster) Alyea Trust.