Drainage repairs to close two sections of Victoria Park

Victoria Park is getting a facelift — and an actual lift.

With the work expected to be completed by the end of June, the City of Regina is closing off two sections of the park to repair drainage systems. The work involves digging up and repairing the northeast and southwest corners, two low areas that collect and hold water.

“When we get a rain event, they get wet and when we want to hold functions in the park, they become unusable,” Ray Morgan, the city’s director of parks and open spaces, said Wednesday.

Work started Tuesday and Morgan said the objective is to get the water draining as quickly as possible so rainfalls don’t cause the park to turn into a swamp — especially during events.

“You want people to use the park,” said Morgan.

“If they can’t use certain sections of the park, where do they go? They go to the other areas where you can use it and it just becomes another hole after a while.”

Crews have already fenced off the northeast corner of Victoria Park. Morgan expected the section to be closed off for roughly two weeks, if weather co-operates.

Once this work is finished, the section will be reopened and work will begin in the southwest corner of the park. The second corner is also expected to take approximately two weeks, weather dependent.

“We’re hoping that the rain stays away until, at least, we can get the sod down. Then it can rain,” Morgan said.

He said the areas should be usable about 10 days after the sod is laid.

As a result of the construction, and due to poor health, some trees will be removed. Replanting, expected to be completed in the fall, is planned to replace any removed trees in both areas.

Morgan estimated two or three trees may have to be removed. He said some of the spruce trees growing in sunken areas have become unwell, but the elms, poplars and ash trees should be fine.

During construction, the park will still be accessible to the public, but the two corners will be blocked off. However, the public is asked by the city to be considerate of the workers and work areas.

Work is also scheduled to fix the damaged paving stones around the Cenotaph and in City Square Plaza. Construction is not expected to affect any events.