ST. PAUL - As summer wraps up and cooler days are just around the corner, the Town of St. Paul's Parks and Recreation Department is staying busy, wrapping up projects and moving from one season to the next.
Among the projects that the Town of St. Paul has included in this year's budget is a complete playground replacement at one of the Lagasse Park playground structures. Residents who visit the park will have noticed the old wood structure playground was removed earlier in the season, and ground work was being done.
On Wednesday morning, along with the fenced off area, large pieces of playground equipment - yet to be assembled - could be seen nearby.
The playground installation is expected to begin this week, with a start date of Sept. 7 set, weather permitting, according to information received from the Town of St. Paul's CAO Steven Jeffery. A completion date for the week of Sept. 19 has been set.
"The playground includes one area of play equipment for ages 18 months to five years and another area for ages five years to 12 years," according to information from the Town of St. Paul.
The playground will be unique in that it will consist of 12-foot slide and a 75-foot zip-line, within the playground area, along with other features.
The Town has also been working with the St. Paul & District Chamber of Commerce to prepare the site and install the Red River Cart and flags for the River Cart project. Lakeland Today is waiting for more information from the Chamber regarding an unveiling date for the project.
Other facilities
One of the town's busiest recreation facilities - the St. Paul Aquatic Centre - held its last public swim for about a month on Sept. 5. The swimming pool is now closed for annual maintenance.
The Aquatic Centre maintenance closure will consist of many different projects, including painting, repairs, pressure washing, valve replacement, tiles and grouting repairs, and more. The pool will be drained and all filters will be removed and replaced. There will also be a deep cleaning and back-washing of all piping and equipment.
"We will also be cleaning and repairing all sand filters and cleaning and repairing all boilers. The closure will begin Sept. 6 and if all goes well reopening the end of September," according to information from the Town's administration.
And with the arrival of cooler weather, and the wrap-up of the Lakeland Rodeo Association finals over the Labour Day long weekend, the Town is now busy switching the Clancy Richard Arena back to ice operations. After rodeo materials are removed, there will be a cleaning done and the ice plant will be turned on.
A target date of Sept. 23 has been set for the opening of the arena with an ice surface.
The CAP arena is expected to be ready for the winter season on Oct. 14.
Also, the Tourism Centre, located at the UFO landing pad, is scheduled to close for the season on Sept. 11.
