After months of public consultation, the final concept design for Millennium Park has been revealed.
The recent draft is based off of feedback the planning team received on three potential designs released to the public.
“In a couple of the options we had this idea of an urban beach,” said Jill Robertson, planner at DIALOG, a design company working with the city. “Turns out, not a lot of people want an urban beach in St. Albert.”
The plan incorporates the most popular elements from each of the three previous designs and eliminates any elements the group got negative feedback on. The emerging plan was inspired mostly by “The Common “ and “The Meander” designs.
Because of the popularity of “The Common,” both in concept and design, the recent draft of the park will maintain the name. The design is inspired by the concept of a common green space for everybody in St. Albert to enjoy.
Overall, the feedback the team got was that the public really enjoyed the visual connection to the river that the two options provided.
The final draft for the park removes the urban beach and replaces it with a boardwalk that extends over the top the river. This gives park-goers the ability to be close to the river without having to get down in water.
“The common is defined by one circular boardwalk that connects the site,” Robertson said. “The lovely thing about this boardwalk is it touches all of the different experiences on this site.”
The boardwalk widens when it nears St. Anne Promenade and will be able to serve as a stage for outdoor events. The elevation lowers slightly from the roadway to the boardwalk and can serve as a natural amphitheatre for performances.
Inside of the circular boardwalk sits a big open lawn, bordered on one side by an organized arrangement of trees planted with a high canopy to provide shade to park goers.
On the St. Albert Place side of the park, the natural forest is mostly preserved, providing a quiet, natural space for people to explore. The area is designed with a few paths weaving through the trees with the potential for bird watching and an outdoor education centre.
The natural ecology of the area was considered during the design process and the wetland area in the park will be preserved with a secondary path installed to connect Millennium Park to Lions Park.
A bosque, an organized arrangement of trees planted with a high canopy, is planned for near Red Willow Place.
The park’s pavilion is planned to sit on St. Anne Promenade and will include washrooms, a cafeteria and a small storage space.
The design team wants to keep the park versatile and flexible for a wide range of people to enjoy. The next step is for the designers is to present a detailed draft to city council in December.
Until the draft is put forward, the design team is requesting feedback on the current plan of the park.
Any feedback can be submitted to Teaka Broughm at [email protected] and more information about the park can be found on the city website.
