Officers’ Square is entering the final stages of its much-anticipated facelift.
Sean Lee, the assistant director of engineering for the City of Fredericton, gave a presentation to council on Tuesday outlining the key things to be built through 2023, including the stage, the great lawn, and the permanent skating area.
“This is a year where we’re going to see big moves in the square,” he said. “There is a lot of work to be done. So, we’re anticipating crews will be moving in late April, early May, and we’ll be working right through until the end of the year.”
Lee said it has been a long journey, including initial work on a cast iron fence that became unsafe during the initial phase. Crews removed decades-old Elm trees and did heavy excavation.
A part of that was an archaeological study and dig.
“What we tried to do is a lot of the work (seen) in 2022, (which) was moving some of the earth that was there, doing some archaeological mitigation, excavation, and monitoring, with the idea that we can advance some of the core projects this year,” Lee said.
Back in 2018, the revitalization of the area saw pushback from the community. A group called Save Officers’ Square battled against the changes, citing concerns about the site’s historical significance.
Lee said the construction and improvement fall under strict permits issued by the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture.
It did find some interesting things.
“There was an old well feature, there was a wall system that was identified. There are numerous small artifacts and various things that were identified and cataloged as well,” he said.
The study and dig also uncovered the Paleo shoreline in the joint development area — the original shoreline of the Saint John River, which dates back thousands of years.
He said there hasn’t been anything identified that would prevent further improvements and work in the square, but it did adjust the joint development area after discovering the Paleo shoreline. It also has raised the square, the stage and its electrical system up to avoid any major flooding, which hit a record 8.61 metres in 1973.
Despite being closed for the summer, and work extending into the winter, this is the first year Harvest Music Festival will return to the square.
Lee said the goal is to allow for skating in January 2024.
For deputy mayor Greg Ericson, it feels like a triumphant return to normal for the iconic square.
He said during COVID-19, people may not have been out and about as much as they would be in previous years, and its absence may have been less impactful.
“I think now that we’re coming out from under that cloud, people want to see a return to normal and part of normal is being able to use Officers’ Square in the summer and the many of the events that are held there,” Ericson said on Tuesday.
The Fredericton Region Museum will also be open.
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