We are one week away from Big Music Fest at McLennan Park in Kitchener and organizers are promising to bring in big crowds. There are safety concerns though, as officials found high levels of methane gas in the park's drainage system just over two weeks ago.
“What they are doing is they're doing some sampling for methane in soil to make sure we've addressed the issues, so that when the event occurs there aren't any concerns about people being exposed to methane,” said Director of Operations Jim Witmer.
Inspectors from the region tested the soil at McLennan Park anddiscovered that the drainage system put in place when the park was converted from a landfill was collecting high levels of methane gas. The decision was then made to dig up most of the 32 drainage pipes.
During the three-day music festival the City of Kitchener also says their bylaw department will be heavily enforcing parking in and around McLennan Park. They say anyone who lives around here should have already applied for a voucher to allow them to park on the street.
Parking in around the park was also a concern for the fire department.
“One of our main concerns was that we had an emergency access to the site should it be needed. They've assured us, in fact they've blocked off Strasburg Road, Ottawa Road and Blackhorn Drive,” said Deputy Fire Chief Gary Mann.
40 paid duty officers will help with crowd control, along with a number of auxiliary police. Some businesses like the Laurentian Power Center will also hire security to keep concert goers out of their parking lot.
Other smaller businesses say they're still working on the details.
Set up for the stage is expected to happen on Monday, when the big moving parts will roll into town and get to work.
