A $165-million expansion to Fort Edmonton Park is going to be starting almost a year later than originally planned.
After federal funding for the project was announced in March 2017, construction was slated to start that fall. A new timeline provided by the park has construction starting in August of this year.
Park spokesperson Sandra Green said the original plan took longer than expected to get in motion, leading to the delay.
“This year will be a great time for people to experience the park as it is today,” Green said in a news release on Monday. “When it reopens to full programming, we’ll have some exciting new additions and opportunities for people to engage with the park.”
The only change at the park this summer, Green said, will be the train. The 99-year-old Baldwin steam engine will not run in 2018 due to building issues in the rail yard. It is not known when — if at all — the train will run again before 2021, when the enhancement work is expected to be complete.
The building that houses the train during the off-season is structurally unstable, according to the park. Because of this, crews are unable to get inside to do annual maintenance on the train.
The park hoped it would be able to find another building for the train, but that did not happen. The plan now is to eventually build a new garage for the locomotive, but that is not part of the $165-million renovation.
The first project to get underway when construction starts in August is the Indigenous Peoples Experience, which includes a new pavilion to showcase First Nations and Métis Nation cultural heritage.
There will also be camps, trails, classrooms and an outdoor amphitheatre.
As well as the construction of the new attraction, the park will go through a number of updates, including a new front entry plaza and admissions facility, an expansion of the Hotel Selkirk and the 1920s midway and an update to the existing underground facilities.
People who visit the park before construction starts will notice one major change: the iconic Baldwin steam engine will not be running so that the railyard and shop can undergo enhancements.
As for the summers of 2019 and 2020, the park said it can’t speculate on the impact the construction will have for visitors, saying only “it’s certain some interruption in events will occur.” Signature events like Spooktacular, along with other entertainment events and private events, will continue during construction as scheduled.
The park is currently only open for private events during the winter season. The 2018 season officially begins on May 19 and regular daily programming will continue until Sept. 3.
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