After previously announcing that Hawrelak Park would reopen this winter, the City of Edmonton has now nailed down a firm date.
Beginning March 13, the city said visitors can access most of the 68‑hectare park and enjoy the various upgraded amenities such as a new playground, a new lakefront promenade, a modernized pavilion and updated washroom facilities.
There’s also a new perimeter path in the park along the North Saskatchewan River and multi-use trails are fully paved.
While the park will be open for casual use on March 13, the city said people may notice some lingering construction work to address deficiencies, commissioning and warranty-related activities.
Hawrelak Park has been closed since 2023 for an above and underground overhaul that addressed outdated utilities, transportation, open spaces and facility infrastructure throughout the entire space.
Most of the infrastructure in Hawrelak was original to the park since its opening in 1967 and had exceeded its lifespan.
Before finalizing the rehabilitation plan, there was extensive debate in the city over which route to take: take down portions of the park and complete the work over a decade while maintaining limited access, or undertake a complete three-year closure to get it all done at once.
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The city elected for the latter, despite an outcry from some community groups.
The rehabilitation work included updates to the main pavilion structure and plaza’s finishes, fixtures, skate flooring, commercial kitchen, and mechanical and electrical systems and adding gender-neutral washrooms.
A large part of the work involved digging up and replacing underground lines and pipes.
The city has replaced the entire storm sewer, irrigation and water systems and upgraded power, gas and telecommunications. It also expanded water service to provide firefighting coverage in several areas of the park.
The Heritage Amphitheatre also saw several changes: new outdoor seating and finishes as well as lighting, structural, mechanical and electrical upgrades, along with the addition of family/gender-neutral washrooms and increased storage.
The green room and back-of-house access have also been reconfigured.
In the park’s open spaces, the playground and paddle boat dock were replaced. The city added more lighting, bicycle parking and shared-use paths, connecting amenities and repaving all roads.
Sediment from the bottom of the five-hectare lake was also dredged.
The work should leave the massive river valley park updated for decades to come.
An official reopening party will take place later this year on Saturday, May 30.
The city said festivals, events and picnic bookings will return to William Hawrelak Park beginning June 1.
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