A $2.47 million renovation of Nose Creek Park is well underway, with completion of a new concession and bathrooms expected by the end of the month, according to team lead of the City of Airdrie’s Parks Department Archie Lang.
“Then we’ll be shutting down the construction as construction season freezes up on us so that we can do the Airdrie Festival of Lights (AFOL),” Lang said.
“The AFOL start to set up around the middle of November so they’ll be able to do their set up. We’ll have ice-skating on the pond throughout the winter time – weather permitting. Then as winter starts to break up we’ll bring the construction company back in and they’ll do Phase 2.”
According to Lang, the project is on time and on budget.
“I think it’s going to work out very well. With the concession and washrooms finished, they’ll be available to the AFOL and throughout the skating season for kids and families on the pond,” he said.
The concession was built to allow user groups to run it during special events and raise some additional funds. It is not manned by City staff.
“The new concession is about three times the size of the old one,” Lang said. “It’s much more user-friendly. We built it to be a resource for all the event people who want to have events in the park.”
Phase 2 of the project includes removing the existing stage and replacing it with a larger, covered amphitheatre in a new location, south of where it currently sets.
Phase 2 will also include building a new boardwalk along the pond, which will be larger than the existing boardwalk and will also be lower to allow easy access to the pond for skating in the winter and fishing in the summer months.
Landscaping of the park will also begin during this phase of the project.
The current renovation is the largest overhaul of the popular public facility since Nose Creek Park opened in September 1994, including the current shelter and the stage.
Considerable consultation with the public and user groups was conducted before the final design was decided upon, including a number of open houses.
After asking what residents would like to see in the park redesign, three concept drawings were presented to the public, user groups and internal parks staff with the final design presented to council in December 2015.
According to Lang, the entire project will be completed by August 2017, just in time for the annual Airdrie Summer Classic Charity Show and Shine, hosted by the Time Travellers Car Club of Airdrie, usually held at the beginning of the month.
