Royal City residents may have to wait until the official opening of Westminster Pier Park to set foot on the city's new riverfront park.
Westminster Pier Park, a 600-metre long linear park on the city's waterfront, will officially open to the public on June 16. Although the city had originally hoped people would be able to access the park by early May, some deficiencies are being addressed before it opens to the public.
"This is construction," said project manager Dugal Purdie. "That happens. It is nothing unusual."
One of the issues was related to the park's handrails, which didn't line up properly and needed to be fixed.
"It's a mistake by the contractor," Purdie said. "It was added to his costs, not the city's costs."
While there were some "unexpected issues" to deal with at the park, Purdie said he has no doubt everything will be shipshape in time for the official opening on June 16.
"It's looking beautiful," he said. "I think people are going to be stunned, especially at nighttime. The lighting sets it off beautifully."
Westminster Pier Park, which stretches from Begbie to Elliott streets along the waterfront, includes two playgrounds, a sports court, a finger pier that stretches out over the Fraser River, a "festival lawn" gathering area that can accommodate 1,000 people, a sports court, a concession, washrooms (for men, women and families), walking paths and more.
"They are still working on some stuff in the concession building," Purdie told The Record May 25. "The washrooms aren't complete yet. If you open and the washrooms aren't finished, that could be a bit of a downer."
Jim Lowrie, the city's director of engineering, said there are still a few deficiencies being attended to, such as railings and finishing details at the concession building.
Until these are properly addressed, he said the city can't confirm if there will be a soft opening of the park prior to June 16.
The June 16 official opening features entertainment on the main stage starting at 11 a.m., a formal opening from 1 to 1: 30 p.m., roving entertainment, recreational activities in kids' and sports zones, 'Experience the Fraser' activities and food from vendors at River Market.
The City of New Westminster purchased the waterfront site for $8 million in 2009 and is building a $25.1 million park. The city has received federal and provincial government contributions for two-thirds ($16.6 million) of the project funding through the Build Canada Fund and contributed $8.3 million in city funds to the park.
Lowrie said staff will be tallying final project costs shortly after the completion and the grand opening on June 16.
The city has yet to receive approvals from the Ministry of Environment related to environmental remediation of the former industrial site.
"The city has proceeded under the Ministry's independent remediation process. As part of this process, a confirmation of remediation report and other related reports have been completed by the city's professional environmental consultants to ensure that the park has been fully remediated to MOE (ministry of environment) standards," Lowrie wrote in an email to The Record. "Ministry approval is not a requirement for opening the park."
