Updates on Pointe des Chenes and six other city parks and facilities

Sault Ste. Marie's parks and recreation advisory committee received updates Tuesday on a number of construction projects currently underway.

Virginia McLeod, the city's manager of recreation and culture, reported that a new shade structure at Pointe des Chenes park is expected to go up this fall.

The footings are being installed and the structure is expected to be ready for use next year.

At Rosedale Park, the new zip line and accessibility features are also expected to be completed this fall, McLeod said.

Other projects mentioned:

• all ground work for the West End Splash Pad at Manzo Park is now complete. "They've poured the concrete pads for the actual structure," said Brent Lamming, the city's director of community services. "They're now doing backfill and grading around the splash pad," Lamming said. "We want to make sure that facility is ready to go in the spring when we can turn it on.... aligned with when we open up the Bellevue Park splash pad. That project is going to be an exciting addition for the west end of the community."
• the boardwalk promenade addition alongside Montana's and the Bondar Marina is being well used by people on their lunch hours, with a lot of positive feedback, Lamming said
• the Northern Community Centre Twin-Pad Arena at 556 Goulais Ave. is 99.9 per cent complete. "The last piece of the puzzle there was the north part of the parking lot," Lamming said. "We had to lift up the sidewalk and fix the north entrance. That is now completed."
• a rough count taken at the Sept. 23 opening of the new Soo Market (formerly known as Mill Market) found somewhere between 3,500 and 5,000 attendees at 73 Brock St. The lower area of the adjacent downtown plaza is also open, with Penokean Hills Farms occupying one of the outside retail units and other vendors expected to join them shortly.