Over time, we’re reconnecting our Champlain Park to the Champlain Woods to the north.
- We started discussing it in 2016.
Pontiac Street was closed off to traffic in September 2017, and big concrete planters were added as decoration and obstacles.
- We cut a hole in the fence in December 2017 to let skiers and other SJAM Winter Trail users through right up to our field-house.
Planters were filled with flowers and other growing things in the summer of 2018.
- The pavement was cut into squares in September 2019.
pavement-scoring-20190925_143321.mp4 - On October 5th 2019 a group effort to remove most of the pavement, leaving a curb and cycle path, took place under the supervision of Envirocentre. We have some initial photos followed by a detailed story. Envirocentre even made a slide show story of it.
The gravel under the street was dug up and replaced with topsoil, as well as the old parking lot gravel behind the fence. The fence too was gone by mid-October 2019.
- After that, more park improvements, and perhaps a shorter safer path to the park for the students at St. George’s school.
There are several posts related to this topic. If you want to read them, please see https://champlainpark.org/tag/pontiac-park-expansion/