Plans for the construction of Turner Valley's Millennium Park are underway and a final conceptual design is now complete.
Representatives from McElhanney Consulting Services unveiled its final conceptual design of the park at Town of Turner Valley council's committee of the whole meeting Nov. 7.
The Town's development officer and planner Jonathan Yuen said the plan will likely be brought to council for approval at its next meeting.
The design for the park, located east of the four-way stop in town, features a long entry point with shrub and perennial planting, the existing derrick, and a water feature. The entry meets a tree-lined promenade that sweeps across the park and around a large green space which could be a skating rink in the winter. The existing gazebo is maintained, while other current features such as memorial benches and trees are relocated. The design also features a stage and a memorial grove.
Councillors said they liked the design, but some expressed concern over the proposed entrance, as it is adjacent to Highway 22 in the northeast corner of the intersection.
After the meeting, Mayor Kelly Tuck explained she was concerned because she thought there would be space between the road and the sidewalk, and noted how children can fall off the sidewalk.
Alberta Transportation, who owns Highway 22 and the land beside it, has approved the sidewalks, said Tuck.
The plan has been sent off to ConocoPhillips, the landowner who leases the green space to the Town, and the Province still needs to approve the entire concept, which includes the changes to the intersection, explained Tuck.
The park's entryway bulges into the street, which impacts the turning radius for vehicles, explained McElhanney landscape architecture manager George Harris after the meeting.
“ This is very conceptual right now and it's sort of showing what we think should be there,” he said of the design. “ Whether or not we can do it or not is to be determined.”
In regards to concern over the park's entrance, he said no matter what happens with the intersection, it is a desirable entry for the park. He said he did not think it was a safety risk.
In response to concerns raised over the intersection during the meeting, McElhanney senior project manager Yogeshwar Navagrah noted how it is a well-designed corner and it helps slow down traffic.
After the meeting, Tuck said she was pleased with the final design and the concept of the park being a gathering place.
“ I think it will add a new element to the downtown core, an exciting element,” she said.
While $500,000 was originally budgeted for the park, the project is now estimated to cost $1.5 million.
Tuck said the Town is applying for grants and seeking partnerships to help with funding.
“ There's got to be money out there for us to build it because it's going to be an asset to the town and I think it will actually anchor that corner nicely.”
The project can either be completed in phases or all at once. Tuck said it would be nice to do it all at once, but it will come down to money. If the Town has not received grants, the project will likely be done in phases.
The entire project will take about four to six months to complete, said Harris, and the company proposed to build it in 2013 so it would be ready for the town's centennial in 2014.
The company started working on the project in March and held consultations with the Town and the public to see what people wanted in the park. The company developed two concepts and presented them to council and residents for feedback. He said people liked pieces of both and so they were combined for the final design.
“ I think that it's going to be a new standard for small town Alberta parks,” he said, noting how there was nothing like it nearby.
