Voters choose ‘River’ redesign for Alberta legislature grounds

Sixty-five per cent of respondents have chosen the “River” water feature concept out of three proposed redesign options for the Alberta legislature grounds.

Just under 4,000 Albertans responded to the public survey to pick the new water feature for the north plaza of the grounds, the government said Friday.

The new design will replace the terraced wading pools.

The survey ran for two weeks in January.

The other two designs — “Aurora” and “Strata” — received 17.1 per cent and 17 per cent of the votes, respectively.

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Removing the terraced wading pools and installing the new water feature will be part of a larger project to refurbish the north plaza.

Work on the project is already underway and is expected to be completed in 2024.

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The $20-million federal-provincial infrastructure project was announced in May 2022, as a way to help stimulate the economy and address communities’ needs as they recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The dome fountain and wading pools have been closed “since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and mechanical system and public safety issues,” the province said.

1:34 Edmonton’s Annex Building being demolished before being turned into green space

$20 million will be spent on renewing or replacing the water features and walkways — $10 million from the Alberta budget and $10 million from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program ($8 million from the federal government and $2 million from the Alberta government).

The existing water features were built in 1979.

The government said the reasons Albertans gave for selecting the River option included tranquility, natural materials, using of planting/landscaping, more green space, shade, continuous flowing water and maintained site lines of legislature building.

Repairs will be made to the reflecting pool and ornamental dome fountain, replacing piping, updating mechanical and filtration systems, and fixing leaks.

The cracked and weathered concrete decking and walkways around all the water features will be replaced.

The water barrier on top of the 97 Avenue underpass will also be replaced with a new membrane.

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