Waterfront project given green light

Construction on Phase II of the La Verendrye Parkway waterfront renovation project should be underway by July after town council approved the final drawings and report from Engineering Northwest Ltd. at a meeting here last Thursday evening.
While only a handful of people were on hand for the public presentation, those who were had nothing but good things to say about the $2.4-million project.
“It’s quite a project,” exclaimed Al Lowe, who sat on the Phase II committee. “It’ll be quite beautiful when it’s open.
“It’s really a wonderful addition to the town,” he added.
“We’re glad to see it finally happening,” said Front Street resident Bill York.
“If you’re walking, or biking, this will make it a lot more convenient,” he added, noting the project also will help prevent shoreline erosion.
“It’s right in front of our place so we’re interested in what’s happening,” echoed York’s wife, Rose, as they perused the plans on display at the meeting.
“It’s really exciting to see this come this point,” enthused Mayor Glenn Witherspoon. “When I started with council in 1985, we were seeing presentations about Phase I.
“After that, there was the yawning question, ‘When does Phase II start?’
“We should be very proud of this. We’ve called this our centennial project, and we’ll probably have the grand-opening to coincide with the [town’s] centennial in 2003,” he added.
Rob Marasco, engineering consultant on the project, gave a rundown of the four primary aspects of the project which, if everything goes well, will be completed sometime in September.
First, the docking facilities at the Sorting Gap Marina will be expanded and 18-25 parking spaces will be added on Front Street.
Second, sidewalks and bicycle paths will be extended about one km to Victoria Avenue. New trees will be planted, and more seating areas and lighting will be installed.
Third, the Crowe Avenue wharf will be replaced and historic interpretive displays will be erected along the parkway.
Finally, at the foot of Victoria Avenue, a scenic overlook will be built.
There also will be seating and shade structures for hospital staff, visitors, patients, and waterfront users, as well as ornamental lighting, banners, and flowerbeds to beautify the area, and some docking facilities.
“We’re hoping this will be the catalyst of the project. We feel this will be able to draw people from the downtown area to the riverfront,” said Marasco.
There also will be in-water construction, including an offshore spawning shoal and backwater nursery structure.
This will be located 75 meters upstream from the present Crowe Avenue wharf, providing rocky spawning habitat for walleye, white sucker, and whitefish as well as a nursery and cover habitat for juvenile and forage fish.
There also will be a backwater vegetation area, designed for the growth of aquatic plants such as cattails, which are absent from the waterfront.
This provides habitat for small forage fish and will support invertebrate (such as crayfish) production.
Shoreline root wads and boulder cluster habitats will be placed at both the foot of Armit Avenue and on the shoreline between Mosher and Butler avenues. This will provide diverse shoreline habitat that can be used by a number of species.
There also will be some shoreline in-filling and erosion protection measures at the Sorting Gap Marina.
“The cost is not out of whack for a waterfront development project,” noted Marasco. “The town has really gone about this the right way.”
The town began the initial stages of a long-term program to reclaim and redevelop the waterfront from Pither’s Point to Victoria Avenue in 1986.
Between 1989-95, Phase I was initiated, resulting in the Sorting Gap Marina and the sidewalks and seating areas now seen along the waterfront.
In 1996, the town initiated Phase II to extend the renovations in a one-km span to Victoria Avenue. Public meetings were held and stakeholders were consulted for input into the plan.
Last year, the town hired Engineering Northwest Ltd. to prepare detailed construction drawings based on the final report of the waterfront development plan devised in 1998 by consultants Hilderman, Thomas, Frank and Cram, and the fish habitat migration and compensation plan as prepared by Acres and Associated.
The town is welcoming public comments on Phase II until June 30.
While comment forms were handed out at last Thursday’s meeting, people also can also drop off comments at the Civic Centre.