WATCH ABOVE: Global’s Doug Vaessen gets an exclusive tour of St. Patrick’s Island, courtesy of Susan Veres from the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation.
CALGARY – St. Patrick’s Island, a natural oasis on the doorstep of downtown Calgary, is a 31-acre regional park set to open by mid-July or early August.
Along with St. Patrick’s Bridge, the $45-million project is meant to draw all Calgarians into the newly-developed East Village.
The island itself is just west of St. George’s Island, which is home to the Calgary Zoo – meaning families can take in the zoo and spend the rest of the day enjoying the natural beauty of the island.
Calgary Municipal Land Corporation’s Susan Veres says the plaza on the east end near the zoo will feature festival space for up to 1,100 people.
“You might see it programmed every weekend with a farmer’s market…things of that nature,” said Veres. “One of the important things about lookout plaza is the fishing cove next door. You can come in with your kayak or raft, safely get out of your kayak, then pop up into the plaza.”
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A giant sun deck overlooks a low water channel on the island with a raised deck—part of the flood mitigation for the area. In the middle, there’s a huge children’s playground and picnic area, along with a nine-metre tall hill.
“Kite flying and picnicking, and then in the winter you can envision tobogganing happening there,” said Veres. “The story there is it was actually created by fill that was pulled out of a natural channel that exists on the island that was filled in the 60s.”
The breach, or channel that bisects the western tip of the island, allows for people to enter a gentle part of the Bow River on a summer beach.
“People can go down in the breach and put their toes in the water in the hot summer. Or conversely go skating in the winter.”
Over 2.3 km of cycling and jogging trails bisect and encircle the island; thousands of native trees and bushes have been planted.
“When Calgarians get introduced to this space, their jaws will drop.”
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