Residents in the Town of Amherstburg will have to wait a little longer before they can enjoy the new Waterfront Festival Plaza.
Plans to open the space, which is an expansion of King’s Navy Yard at the former Duffy’s Tavern property, have been delayed as officials wait for the new turf to be re-established.
The plaza was originally expected to open the Civic holiday long weekend.
Amherstburg purchased the property in 2017 to redevelop it as parkland.
Through phase one of the project, an outdoor amphitheatre/gather space and plaza was planned, along with a washroom facility.
Amherstburg councillor Molly Allaire, says they have set a tentative date for August 26, but “nothing is set in stone.”
“Unfortunately, due to those high heat waves, it didn’t get as strong as we hoped. So there is an irrigation system throughout the whole park. However, even with that, it wasn’t able to establish, so the goal is two weeks.”
By delaying the opening, she said they will avoid ruining the turf and wasting taxpayer money.
“We just have to make sure the turf is properly established before we allow any residents in because if they do start trekking on it, it just becomes more of a problem and it will never be fully established or have a beautiful park like we do in the other part of King’s Navy Yard.”
Once opened, Allaire noted the space will create a new venue for the community to come together.
“So it’s not too often you actually take something down and make a recreational area. So just to have more area and more green space and revitalize and provide an area for people to enjoy and relax is a huge thing compared to just building more buildings.”
In the spring, town council scrapped plans to hold a three-day opening celebration, which would have cost up to $30,000.
Instead, the milestone will be marked with a simple ribbon-cutting.
In total, council approved just over $3-million for this project, which included consultation with the province, accessible walkways, grading, landscaping, underground infrastructure, retaining walls, lighting, and work on the plaza.
Duffy’s Tavern closed in 2013.
-with files from AM800’s Rob Hindi