Silver Lake construction project set to wrap-up in new year
The completion date of a multi-million dollar construction project at Silver Lake in Waterloo Park has been pushed back further after it was supposed to be finished this past summer.
One Laurier student who has frequently visited Waterloo Park for as long as she can remember, isn’t pleased by the news.
“We do come here quite often. I came to the splash pad when I was little, and we would always come to the little Christmas fair,” said Ella Annis. “It’s been a little bit of an issue for my friends. I just because we try to take a break from our school work, and come on our walks but a lot of the park has been restricted right now.”
The three phase project at Silver Lake started up three years ago to see Laurel Creek restored, the lake cleaned out and rehabilitated and the north and south shores revitalized.
Pedestrian features are now visible in some areas, including the LRT deck expansion and boardwalk structure. But construction continues along the north shore with the goal of rehabilitating the park.
“We’re just finishing things up, but there’s a new plaza area that’s centered around a central fountain feature, new lighting, just bringing the park up to a more usable and all-inclusive space,” said Caroline Amyot, senior project engineer with the City of Waterloo.
But Amyot says construction crews dealt with some setbacks, one of which was COVID supply chain delays.
“We are planning to wrap things up hopefully before Christmas and have the fences down to open up some areas.”
In January 2022, the revitalization hit another setback after the previous contractor failed to meet the safety standards of the boardwalk building contract.
Waterloo City Council approved the budget for the project, set at over $7 million.
“The project obviously isn’t finished, and we’re still working through matters, so at this point, we’re still working towards that council approved budget,” said Amyot.
After the revitalization of the north shore, the city says their main focus for the Spring will be landscaping.
“There will be some finishing up to do in the Spring with some landscaping as well as some lighting. The main fountain feature will need to be opened up officially in the Spring, so there’s still some work to do, but it won’t require the park to be shut down,” explained Amyot.
Meantime, Annis is looking forward to the full re-opening of the park.
“I am definitely hoping so just so we can have the park for our mental health and just going on nice walks, especially as the weather gets warmer,” she said.
Fencing will remain up with no public access to the north shore until the teaming work is completed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Getting the lowest mortgage rates in a high interest rate world
The challenges facing home buyers mean it's all the more important to do research and negotiate on rates, mortgage experts say, though they also caution that there's more to focus on than just what looks like the cheapest upfront option.