The proposed reconstruction of a downtown park is being done with the safety of its patrons in mind.
Air Canada Window Park, at the corner of Portage Avenue and Carlton Street, is set to get renovations and upgrades to the tune of $2.5 million this year.
The redesign contract was awarded to local firm Scatliff+Miller+Murray which includes spaces for community supports and presented by the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone, which is spearheading the project.
“Our public spaces, our green spaces, especially downtown are so important. We don’t have a lot of them,” BIZ Chief Executive Officer Kate Fenske told 680 CJOB’s The Start.
The park was identified as a “high-impact” project a few years ago during the development of a downtown recovery strategy by the city and downtown organizations.
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The strategy outlined objectives that would keep workers in downtown Winnipeg, build attractive buildings, support and attract new business and generally improve safety.
Fenske said the park has been neglected in recent years and the result has been safety concerns for people who frequent the area.
The chief executive officer said the redesign, which includes open sightlines and removing barriers, is one part of the solution.
The open-space concept will allow for larger events in the space, too.
“I think it’s a real opportunity for us to celebrate, in our city, in our downtown Indigenous art, culture out provide ceremony working with elders, and that’s what we’ve been doing and testing over the last two summers,” she said. “So we’ve seen some shifts.”
Fenske said the organization is still in talks about what the social services aspect of the park will look like, but they hope to include a space for programming and supports.
The redesign was done with community engagement from park users in mind, Fenske added.
The park is due to be closed in August to begin work with a plan to reopen in the fall.