William Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation Project

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Hawrelak Park is temporarily closed for rehabilitation of utilities, facilities, open spaces, paths and roads.

Project Update - March 2023

A full park closure is in place as rehabilitation work is underway. All access to the park is restricted.

River valley trails around the park perimeter remain open during construction. Occasionally, short-term trail detours may be necessary and will be identified with signage, as appropriate. Although the perimeter trails are accessible around the park, there is no trail or parking access within Hawrelak Park. Trail access parking is available at the adjacent park sites, including: Buena Vista Park, Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park, Emily Murphy Park and Victoria Park.

Site preparation and deep utility work is underway at this time. This work includes the renewal of two outfalls and water intake connections to the river and is being conducted in accordance with the Canadian Navigable Waters Act.

During construction, nearby residents may experience increased noise levels and traffic due to the nature of the work. The majority of construction will take place between the hours of 7am and 7pm in accordance with the Community Standards Bylaw 14600 .

Please respect all signage and obey instructions of staff in this active work zone.

We understand the inconvenience caused by the park closure and look forward to the reopening in winter 2025/26. Visit edmonton.ca/parks to find other parks and amenities available.

Project Overview

Artist’s rendering of the accessible lakefront walk.

Artist’s rendering of the accessible lakefront walk.

The William Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation Project was identified as a priority to address aging park infrastructure and meet future demands.

The project addresses the utility, transportation, open spaces, and facility infrastructure throughout the park. Most of the infrastructure is original to the park since its opening in 1967. The infrastructure has exceeded its lifespan and requires repair, replacement, or upgrading to remain operational and meet current and future demands.

A large portion of this project involves the replacement of the deep service utilities. Construction activities are throughout the park as a result of the vast network of underground utilities, facilities, roads, and pathways. Underground utility replacement is disruptive and creates safety concerns if any portions of the park were to remain open. The utility work requires large machinery and a significant amount of space to undertake the trench and backfill activities necessary.

The first year of rehabilitation focuses on deep and shallow utilities. The facility, open spaces, roads, and trail work will follow. There are significant interdependencies with all these items, and full closure of the park provides the greatest opportunity to conduct activities concurrently and accelerate the project while eliminating redundancies.

Targeted Indigenous engagement will take place with First Nations and Métis communities to mitigate the impact of construction on the parkland and river valley through an on-site monitoring program. This is also supported by an archaeologist and paleontologist.

Given the breadth of project scope and complexity of this project, the coordination of how the work is done is as important as the project scope. A full park closure allows for concurrent timelines and is the best option. The project team explored all options, conducted an extensive amount of engagement and determined the best course of action.

User Experience

The river valley trail system will remain open around the perimeter during construction. Short-term detours may be necessary at times.

The river valley trail system remains open around the perimeter of the park. Short-term detours may be necessary at times.

The river valley trail system around the perimeter of the park remains open for users to safely enjoy the river valley trail system. Occasionally, short-term detours of trails may be necessary during replacement of infrastructure with connections to the river. During those times, detours will be posted, directing users to the south trail and stairs to Groat Road. The trails around Mayfair Park are not affected by the construction. All trails, parking and public access within Hawrelak Park are closed.

Although the perimeter trails are accessible around the park, there is no access for parking within Hawrelak Park during construction. Trail access parking is available at the adjacent park sites, including: Buena Vista Park, Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park, Emily Murphy Park and Victoria Park.

Project Scope

The Main Pavilion will see the renewal of mechanical and electrical, a reconfiguration of spaces and direct outdoor access for skate rentals.

Artist’s rendering of the Main Pavilion and direct outdoor access for skate rentals.

Construction is occurring throughout the park. While utility replacement comprises the majority of the project, park facilities and open spaces are also included in the overall rehabilitation.

The following items are included in the rehabilitation project:

Replacing the entire storm sewer system infrastructure
Upgrading power, gas and telecommunication infrastructure
Replacing the irrigation system
Replacing the entire water distribution system within the park
Expanding water service to provide fire coverage at the washroom/shelter #2, service yard, Heritage Amphitheatre and main pavilion

Updating the main pavilion structure and plaza, including finishes, fixtures, skate flooring, commercial kitchen, mechanical and electrical systems and adding gender-inclusive washrooms
Updating the boathouse structural, building envelope, mechanical and electrical systems as well as replacing the concrete surround
Updating the washroom shelters, interior finishes, fixtures and structural, mechanical and electrical systems. The upgraded mechanical systems will provide year round access
Updating the service yard structural, mechanical and electrical systems
Replacing two buildings in the service yard and adding an extension to the main building
Rehabilitating the south garage in the service yard along with other upgrades throughout the service yard
Rehabilitating windows, doors, walls and roofs (as required) in interior spaces and park buildings
Updating the Heritage Amphitheatre structural, mechanical and electrical systems
Updating the Heritage Amphitheatre interior finishes and fixtures
Adding family/gender inclusive washrooms to the Heritage Amphitheatre
Reconfiguring the Heritage Amphitheatre green room and back of house access
Adding a new storage facility for the Heritage Amphitheatre
Replacing the Heritage Amphitheatre outdoor seating
Rehabilitating the Heritage Amphitheatre exterior space and lighting

Replacing the paddle boat dock
Replacing the playground
Adding wayfinding signage
Adding shared use paths to provide connectivity to amenities
Adding bicycle parking
Adding pedestrian crossings in parking areas and road crossings
Dredging the sediment from the lake bottom
Regrading to improve drainage
Repaving all roads and replacing all road curbing
Increasing the number of accessible picnic sites that include asphalt connections
Adding lighting for security

Project Engagement and Closure Considerations

Extensive stakeholder and public engagement was conducted for this project. The general public and the prime users of the park, including festival and event groups, were engaged in the planning and design of this project, as well as the decision for implementation (construction approach).

User groups and residents shared their feedback and perspectives on how the current park infrastructure could better support programs, services, safety, security, access, and circulation. The public input gathered was combined with park infrastructure condition assessments, operational requirements, and technical standards and policies. Together, these informed development of the plan and identified project priorities.

The project team, including external architects, engineers, construction managers and advisors evaluated multiple implementation options. The analysis included options of a full closure, as well as phased closures. The full closure option provided the shortest construction timeline and was the best option for safety. This was a difficult decision and we recognize the effect the closure of the park during construction has on the community.

Targeted Indigenous engagement will take place with First Nations and Métis communities to mitigate the impact of construction through an on-site monitoring program during construction. This is also supported by an archaeologist and paleontologist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does it have to be closed for 3 years?

This project is complex and involves many interrelated scopes of work, including deep underground utilities, shallow utilities, park facilities, open spaces, transportation and the environment. The work will be done throughout all areas of the park. Full closure of the park for several years allows work on utilities, facilities and open spaces to run concurrently at times while providing the necessary staging area and overall site safety.

The deep underground utility infrastructure, including the storm, sanitary, water distribution, power and irrigation systems, is all being replaced. This creates safety concerns if any portions of the park are left open and also must be done prior to any surface work. This adds complexity throughout the project scope and a full closure provides the greatest opportunity to overlap timelines. Given the scope of the project, three years is required.

Why can't the work be done in phases and keep areas of the park open?

The project team, in consultation with a range of experts, explored all options of construction and conducted an extensive amount of engagement and determined the best course of action. Phased approaches as well as full closure were assessed to determine the best strategy. This was a thorough and difficult decision involving experts from all areas.

This project has many complexities due to the significant interdependencies with utilities. With a phased approach, the addition of temporary services of most utilities would be needed to keep the park operating. Otherwise, some services would be unavailable until work was complete. Neither option would be appealing to the public or festival teams.

The phased approach with partial park closures would extend the construction schedule to ten years. Even with the phased approach, the impacts from the scopes of work would continue during that entire time and affect large areas of the park, especially related to the underground utility work. There was not a phased scenario that could be implemented in a manner that would allow for continued operation in a safe manner as well as allowing park festivals to operate at acceptable levels.

The deep underground utility infrastructure work is one of the primary drivers in examining the approach. The work is extensive throughout the park and requires a significant amount of space and heavy equipment to undertake the trench and backfill activities. For example, a typical 3-4m deep pipe installation can require up to 16-20m (50-60 feet) width in working space when taking into account both the trench dimensions with safe cutback slopes as well as the space for a spoil pile to stage the excavated material.

Full park closure will result in the shortest construction timeline (up to 3 years). It is the most efficient (cost and schedule) approach with a focus on minimizing impacts to users.

Will the trails around the park be closed as well?

The river valley trail system around the perimeter of the park will remain open for users to safely enjoy the river valley trail system. Occasionally, short-term detours of trails may be necessary. The trails remaining open will allow users to safely bypass around the park. All trails inside the park will be closed due to the construction.

Why are some of the trees being removed?

The City understands that mature trees and natural areas are important. This understanding has been an essential consideration for the project. A necessary part of the project does require removal of trees. The timing for the project tree removal plan includes working with biologists to ensure bird and wildlife acts are followed.

The City of Edmonton values every single tree, and removals are guided by the City’s Corporate Tree Policy and Public Tree Bylaw 18825, which prioritize the preservation and protection of trees and ensures equitable compensation for canopy loss. In addition to other design disciplines, the project team includes Ecological Planners, Urban Forestry and Natural Area Operations, external Arborists and other environmental subject matter experts within, and external to, City of Edmonton Administration. These groups provide guidance and support to ensure adherence to the approved Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Tree Management Plan, legislative requirements, policies, and bylaws. Beyond project planning and design, these teams are on site during construction to take inventory of what trees require protection, removal, and replacement. Replacement trees will be planted within the final year of the rehabilitation project, allowing for plantings to establish.

The project team has prioritized tree removal mitigation and the overall environmental impact of this rehabilitation project. To achieve the desired outcome of a safe and accessible park experience, while minimizing significant disruption to the current park layout, removal of trees is necessary. The exact number continues to be refined as we finalize the Tree Management Plan and work progresses.

Project History

Project Update - September 2022

Detailed design is nearly complete and construction is planned to begin in spring 2023.

Full park closure for up to 3 years is necessary for safety due to the extent of the rehabilitation work. Park closure will begin in spring 2023. It is possible that some recreation activities may resume in a staged manner as construction nears completion.

The project team, including City of Edmonton staff and external advisors including architects, engineers and construction managers, evaluated many options and determined the optimal approach to construction by taking into account multiple perspectives. The analysis included staging of construction through both partial and full park closures.

Among the items considered through this process:

Festival Accommodations - we recognize that a total closure is impactful, however, having ongoing restricted operations over an extended period of years if partially staged was not considered desirable either.

Safety - A large portion of this work will involve replacement of the deep service utilities throughout the entire park. Underground utilities are disruptive and create safety concerns if any portions of the park are left open. They require a significant amount of space to undertake the trench and backfill activities. A typical 3-4m deep pipe installation can require up to 16-20m (50-60 feet) width in working space when taking into account both the trench dimensions with safe cutback slopes as well as the space for a spoil pile to stage the excavated material.

Complexity - There are significant interdependencies with utilities. If we phased the work, we would either have to provide temporary services of most utilities in order to keep the park operating, or we would have to cut off some services until work was complete. Neither option would be appealing to the public or festival teams.

Risk - We anticipate a significant amount of permitting requirements for this project that can be considered and managed in one single request which reduces the overall risk.

Construction Schedule - The full closure strategy allows us the greatest opportunity to stack activities concurrently. This overlapping of activities and resources helps accelerate the timelines and create further agility ensuring the completion date committed to the public has the greatest chance of success.

Cost - A full closure helps provide greater assurances of the total cost for the project. It will be less susceptible to inflation and market pressures including changing codes and standards, regulations and permits. There is also expected to be less temporary work that otherwise may be required when proceeding in a staged approach.

User Experience - One way of promoting a good user experience is through consistency. Our objective will be to maintain active trail detours around the park once it’s fully closed to ensure that users can traverse the river valley trail system. Having consistent access and circulation around the construction area will aid users navigating the area as opposed to avoiding it all together.

Park Operations - Addressing the full scope of work under a total closure allows for the accelerated benefits of the renewal work contributing to enhanced serviceability and reliability issues in a more timely manner.

The project team explored all options, conducted an extensive amount of engagement and determined the best course of action. This was a difficult decision. As construction progresses, the team will actively work to identify areas where passive recreation activities may resume in a staged manner as the rehabilitation progresses.

Project Timeline

Project life cycle Build chevron

2025

Seasonal deficiencies addressed
Facility work
Establishment of soft landscaping
Anticipated reopening for winter 2025/26

2024

Roadway and pathway construction
Hard landscape surface work
Tree, shrub and grass plantings
Final grading of turf areas
Start of facility work

2023

Site safety and security established
Construction mobilization
Trenching and deep utility work throughout the park
Backfilling
Shallow utility work

2022

Detailed design completed
Funding approved

2019-2021

Additional studies completed
Priorities confirmed
Schematic design completed
Public engagement on schematic design: What We Heard Report
Design development completed

2018-2019

Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation Plan developed
Public engagement: What We Heard Report

For More Information

Philip Nastiuk

Title	Project Manager, Facility Infrastructure Delivery
Email	philip.nastiuk@edmonton.ca

Brad Watson

Title	Program Manager, Facility Infrastructure Delivery
Email	brad.watson@edmonton.ca