City crews hope a summer of renovation of the Bower Ponds Pavilion won’t impact the beloved park too much, but they admit there may be a day or two that it could be closed.
Work will get underway shortly and continue into November, said Deb Comfort, Neighbourhood Facilities and Sport Supervisor.
“Hopefully it will be done before then, but the end of November is what our timeline is,” she said. “There are going to be some minor upgrades to the facilities to kind of clean them up and give them a bit of a facelift with new flooring.”
The work will be done in phases and includes providing year-round exterior public washroom access in the pavilion, improve year-round access to the pavilion and storage and site improvements.
The area in front of the pavilion uses paving stones, but it will be transformed into a new deck, using a composite material so it won’t have to be painted regularly.
“Because of the volatility of the land there, freeze and thawing, it’s always been an operational challenge to keep it safe for everybody,” said Comfort. “The decking will provide a stable, flat surface and provide more opportunities for staging special events.”
The city hopes to keep the pavilion open throughout construction, but Comfort said there may be a day or two here or there where it is shut down due to the water being turned off or other construction needs.
But, Canada Day will go on as planned and all the pavilions usual offerings, including the concession will remain open.
Later in the renovation, the dock on Bower Ponds will be updated. The timeline has not yet been set for the dock work, but it will be resurfaced.
Meanwhile, the Bower Ponds Playground will be closed for 11 days as crews resurface the area. The rubber surface, called pour in place rubber, is being replaced. The top layer is being torn away and a new rubber surface is being installed.
This means the playground will be closed from May 7 to 17 to allow for the work to be completed.
mcrawford@reddeeradvocate.com
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