St. Albert’s new all-season park's playground is closed due to flooding.
Kingsmeade Park officially opened Feb. 27, showcasing walking trails, a playground area, and a boarded outdoor skating rink. The play structure is currently taped off due to water pooling on the structure’s surface.
City spokesperson Cory Sinclair said in an email that the City is working with its contracting partners to determine if the flooding is a one-off, or whether the park’s design will have to be adjusted.
“The design should provide for adequate drainage around and underneath the playground but clearly isn’t working as designed,” Sinclair said in the email.
Sinclair said the City — in partnership with its contractors — have identified multiple issues that appear to be contributing to the flooding, including sub-drainage under the playground which as of April 1 was still frozen.
“This is an unusual year, with rapid surface melt of a heavier-than-normal snowpack, before the ground underneath has thawed,” Sinclair said in the email. “This has also resulted in higher-than-normal surface runoff from the surrounding farmer's field.”
Other issues which have compounded the flooding include runoff from seeded and new planting areas, and piled up snow left over from trail clearing that is redirecting water from its intended drain pattern.
Sinclair said the sand in the playground is also uneven, causing pooling.
“Playground sand needs to be topped up and re-spread after the first full season in any playground build due to settling,” Sinclair said in the email.
City contractors will work to restore the site after the snow melts and the ground thaws, which will include cleaning up sediment and gravel, and addressing sand issues.
“Staff will continue to monitor the site and pump out water as needed to maintain safety,” Sinclair said. “Residents are asked to avoid using the playground while flooded for sanitary and safety reasons.”
Sinclair noted flooding due to snow thaw can be worse in some years. He said the river can similarly flood St. Albert’s trail system depending on how high the river is just before winter.
“Usually by the end of May, after ground thaw, all the standing water has gone,” Sinclair said in the email.
Trail Tales
While Kingsmeade Park playground is off-limits, one of the St. Albert Public Library’s Trail Tales — individually laminated book pages that attach to trees, fences, and signposts — has recently been set up nearby.
Anthea Dacruz-Smith, an outreach assistant for the library, was out March 30 distributing the library’s newest Trail Tale at Kingsmeade Park.
Trail Tale readers can now explore Yoga Frog by Nora Shalaway Carpenter. Dacruz-Smith said the Trail Tale will be up for three weeks.
