The Splash Park will be closed while construction of an outdoor washroom/changeroom takes place, the Town of Morinville announced on Wednesday.
by Morinville Online Staff
with files from Colin Smith
The Ray Macdonald Sports Grounds in Morinville is set to receive park enhancements thanks to a Canada Community Revitalization Grant. The project will include an outdoor washroom and changeroom, a seating and picnic area, as well as enhanced landscaping and a walkway.
But due to the proximity of the work, the Splash Park at the Ray Macdonald Sports Grounds will be temporarily closed throughout the construction period. However, the adjacent sports fields and playgrounds will remain open. Pedestrian and vehicle traffic may also experience minor delays and temporary disruptions, the Town of Morinville said in a media release Wednesday afternoon.
The project was modified last November when grant funding would not cover the original scope of the project.
The Morinville Park pavilion was originally projected as a destination building to provide a focus for the Ray MacDonald Sports Complex, containing a four-season viewing area looking out over the spray park, playground and recreational multi-sport surface. Plans also included fully accessible washrooms and change rooms to replace the current outdoor washroom and maintenance space for the spray park controls and facility maintenance equipment now housed in a pump shed.
However, no bids were received after the project was tendered as a design-build in June.
Contacting potential contractors for feedback, the administration was told the project was not feasible because of high building material costs, material shortages and tight deadlines.
The project will replace the current seasonal porta-potties with a permanent prefabricated washroom facility similar to those at the Fish and Game Pond and Heritage Lake. A change room facility is also possible. These would be unheated but available year-round.
Updates on the project will be available on the Morinville website’s construction page at www.morinville.ca/construction.
