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William Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation Project

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A 10-year rehabilitation plan guides the renewal of Hawrelak Park to ensure it continues to serve the recreational and event needs of Edmontonians.

Project Update - April 2021

A Lake Water Quality Feasibility Study was completed in 2020 by consultant Applied Ecological Services (now Resource Environmental Solutions). The report summarizes the conditions at Hawrelak Park Lake and its watershed and assesses the best management practices to improve water quality in the lake.

Hawrelak Lake Water Quality Feasibility Study

Public Engagement

Public engagement was held through the Engaged Edmonton platform on 2 pathway options between January 11 to 26, 2021. Over 2,900 people visited the page and 729 people engaged with the material.

This feedback, summarized in the What We Heard report, along with technical requirements and City policies and programs, will be used to develop a final pathway design.

About the Park

William Hawrelak Park is a 68-hectare park in the river valley and is one of the most popular parks in Edmonton. It hosts several major festivals and events throughout the year and is a great location for all Edmontonians and visitors to explore and enjoy.

Project Overview

William Hawrelak Park has been identified as a priority to address aging park infrastructure that requires repair, replacement and/or upgrades in order to meet current and future demands of the park. The 10-year rehabilitation plan was finalized in 2019 and will guide reinvestment in the park.

Planning and design work is now underway to further understand how the network of amenities and infrastructure are connected. To make sure the park meets the needs of Edmontonians for the next 50 years, both funded rehabilitation work and unfunded growth work have been identified. This phase of design will further refine the scopes of work, provide cost estimates and create an approach to managing the work.

Outdoor Amenities

This includes updating landscaping and park amenities:

  • Increasing the number of accessible picnic sites that include asphalt connections 

  • Upgrading benches, garbage receptacles, picnic tables and picnic sites

  • Dredging the sediment from the lake bottom

  • Investigating water quality options to support expanded uses of the lake

  • Regrading around facilities and throughout the park site to address drainage issues

  • Replacing the paddle boat dock 

  • Replacing the playground 

  • Adding lighting for security

Growth

  • Wayfinding signage

Indoor Amenities

This includes rehabilitating all interior spaces and building envelopes (exterior walls, roof, windows and doors):

Main Pavilion 

  • Updating the structural, mechanical and electrical systems 

  • Updating interior finishes and fixtures

  • Replacement of skate flooring

Growth

  • Adding gender-inclusive washrooms to existing amenities

  • Review of main pavilion vendor spaces to improve functionality

Boathouse 

  • Updating the structural, mechanical and electrical systems

  • Replacing the concrete surround

Washroom Shelters

  • Updating the structural, mechanical and electrical systems 

  • Updating interior finishes and fixtures

Growth

  • Adding a family/gender inclusive washrooms to existing amenities 

  • Winterizing washroom shelters for year round access

Service Yard

  • Updating the structural, mechanical and electrical systems  

  • Reviewing current service yard layout and program to support effective and efficient operations

Event Space

This includes rehabilitating all event spaces where people gather:

 Heritage Amphitheatre

  • Updating the structural, mechanical and electrical systems 

  • Updating interior finishes and fixtures

  • Investigating if existing outdoor seating needs to be renewed or replaced

Growth

  • Rehabilitating exterior space, including lighting

  • Adding a family/gender inclusive washrooms to existing amenities 

  • Reconfiguration of green room and back of house access

Circulation

Walk, wheel and bike

This includes improving access for pedestrians, cyclists and those with limited mobility.

  • Improving accessibility on existing pathways

Growth

  • Adding shared use paths to provide connectivity to amenities and throughout the park 

  • Adding bicycle parking

Vehicle 

This includes improving how cars, trucks and emergency vehicles move through the park 

  • Improving main access to accommodate heavy event traffic

  • Repaving all roads

  • Replacing all road curbing

  • Improving roadway safety to accommodate increased multi-modal use

Growth 

  • Improving emergency vehicle access

  • Reconfiguration of main entrance traffic flow

  • Adding pedestrian crossings in parking areas and at pathways connected to the road

Infrastructure

This includes providing a better park experience by upgrading water, power, data and other accessories and utilities:

  • Rehabilitating the entire storm sewer system infrastructure within the park

  • Replacing the existing irrigation system

  • Assessing the lake outfall mechanical system and renewing as required

Partial Growth

  • Rehabilitating the entire water distribution system within the park and expand the system as required to provide fire coverage at Washroom/Shelter #2, the Service Yard, Heritage Amphitheatre and Main Pavilion

  • Upgrading or supporting new infrastructure such as power, gas and telecommunication (including wifi) 

Rehabilitation Scope

The rehabilitation plan provides a roadmap to reinvestment in the park.  

The rehabilitation priorities were established based on the physical and functional condition of the amenities and infrastructure onsite. The following graph illustrates the cost distribution for rehabilitation of each area of the park.

Hawrelak Park pie chart

Project Timeline

design phase

2023-Future

  • Construction (as early as 2023, dependent on condition assessments and funding)

2019-2021

  • Complete additional studies, confirm priorities and complete schematic design
  • Fall 2020: schematic design public engagement
  • Design development process

2018-2019

  • Development of Hawrelak Park 10-Year Rehabilitation Plan (Concept)
  • June-October 2018: public engagement

Public Engagement

Over the last few years, various user groups, including the festival and event groups onsite, residents in the area and general park users, had an opportunity to share their feedback. 

Engagement was completed through online surveys, focus groups, intercept and drop-box surveys at the park, as well as an in-person neighbourhood event. The information and feedback gathered informed the rehabilitation plan by providing a greater understanding of how the park is currently used and how it could better support programs and services, safety, security, access and circulation for years to come.

2018: What We Heard Report
2021: What We Heard Report

Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation

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For More Information

Facility Planning and Design

Email FacilityPlanningAndDesign@edmonton.ca

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