Construction to redevelop the Lower Bowl in Centennial Park is nearly complete.
The work has been excellent with very few delays and is expected to finish on schedule, according to Dan Hicks, the director of parks for the City of Moncton.
“We’re well on schedule. What’s holding us up at this point is delivery of a few items to get us to finish, but for the most part, we’re close to wrapping this one up,” Hicks said.
Work began earlier this year to provide new amenities and create nature-focused additions. Hicks believes visitors will be entranced by the beauty of the new development.
“The atmosphere is much more aesthetically pleasing we’ve got a much better interface with the water. We’ve got a new and improved aesthetically pleasing bridge that will certainly be in many many photos for years to come,” he said.
The largest activity-related addition is a skating trail that spans about 400 metres. Equipped with LED programmable lights, the trail will be flooded during the Winter.
Located in an area prone to flooding, Hicks said while the area will certainly flood again, the city implemented designs featuring infrastructure that will be less impacted.
“Things like heavy electrical and buildings and infrastructure that would take on severe damage in a flood event, those were not considered as part of the project,” said Hicks.
With a price tag of $1.6 million, Moncton taxpayers are only on the hook for about 320,000 because of Federal funding. A COVID relief fund that prioritizes projects with environmental benefits will cover the remaining $1.28 million.
