Until the opening in late April 2018, the site had been closed to the public since the 1978, when the two sanitary waste settling ponds (totalling seven hectares, or 14.8 acres in size) were decommissioned.

The City considered developing the unused site into a passive community park in the late 1990s, but the project was deferred due to the high cost of rehabilitation work, including removing the hazardous substances in the soil. The project was included in the 2006 Parks, Recreation and Culture Plan as a future passive park, pending funding.

Funding in 2015 of $1.9 million from the federal-provincial Small Communities Fund program, covering two-thirds of the project cost, enabled the project to proceed. The remainder was funded by City parkland and development cost charge reserve funds.

The contract was awarded to Western Watershed Ltd, which began work in April 2017.

Park Design

The design of the park included extensive public consultation in 2016, including the presentation of two park design concepts to the public. Based on feedback, the city moved forward with a Nature’s Renewal concept, which focuses on enhancing the wildlife habitat and ecological function of the site.

The plan also improved stormwater runoff in the Riverwood neighbourhood and addressed issues caused by the dikes surrounding the former settling ponds, including stagnant water, shallow lagoon levels, algae growth, neighbourhood flooding and other problems. 

The final design reflected feedback from 518 survey respondents and more than 150 people who attended an open house in 2016. Sixty-five per cent of the survey respondents preferred a wildlife-oriented design over a more traditional people-oriented park design, and most indicated they would use the park for walking or running, viewing nature and bird watching.

Also based on public feedback, a reflective space was added to provide park visitors an opportunity to reflect, heal and honour any person or circumstance of their choice.

Work in 2017 included the following:

• The site was cleared and grubbed.
• Soil amender brought to the site and mixed with native materials and spread around the site.
• The lagoons were deepened and reshaped, and four wildlife habitat islands created.
• Earthworks and site grading was completed and the site graded to its final elevation.
• Storm sewer from Riverside Drive was tied in to outlet to the lagoons.
• Culverts were installed to link the two ponds.
• The pond outlet structure was installed.
• Plantings were conducted throughout the site, which will include over 100,000 indigenous shrubs and groundcover plants, over 1,300 indigenous trees and two acres of native grasses.
• Construction of viewing platforms, trails and wooden fencing.

The work in early 2018 included final completion of the trails, plantings, signs, benches and fencing.

• June 2015: Provincial/federal funding announced
• Early fall 2015: Research and planning begin for site remediation, infrastructure removal and construction, habitat restoration and landscaping and park features
• May 2016: Early concepts presented at open house
• July 2016: Preliminary designs presented at information session
• Fall 2016: Park design concept finalized based on feedback
• Early 2017: Project tendered
• Spring 2017: Start of construction
• Spring 2018: Project completion and park opening on April 28