Lakewood of Strathmore to unveil new public park
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Lakewood of Strathmore is hosting a public open house and ground breaking ceremony, June 1, for Lakewood’s newest public park.
Local dignitaries, potential property buyers and the surrounding community have been invited to participate in the unveiling of Brave Park, which will be accompanied by activities, food, and refreshments.
“We are also going to be showcasing some of the new Lakewood, as we are calling it, so we have some of our new architectural controls that really help to define the rest of Lakewood and what is to come in the future,” said Scott Silva, who spoke on behalf of Lakewood of Strathmore. “We go into detail about our upcoming landscaping plan, which includes all of our new trees and landscaping pathways also tied to Brave Park.”
The Brave Park development was initially brought to Strathmore Town Council’s attention roughly a year and a half ago. Since its introduction, the design of the park has gone through several designs and iterations based on the incoming playground equipment which will occupy a segment of the three-acre space.
Other features of the park which are intended to see development include a pickleball court and outdoor ice rink.
“During COVID-19, there was a lot of supply chain issues and then cost overruns and rebudgeting; not to mention, just getting all of our ducks in a row to get the initiative going,” said Silva. “One thing we would love to point out, is that this is a fully-funded private development. We have no federal, provincial or municipal money in this program or in this park development. It is all done privately through the development group.”
He added the design of the field will include a large, open space for future programming, as well as for sports and recreational activities.
The pickleball court will be a double court, and the playground will occupy a total area of approximately 4,000 square feet.
“It has got three or four different types of playground setups within it, and then the last part of the park is a monument being designed here in town … to honour our first responders, veterans and active-duty service members,” said Silva.
Construction of the park is expected to be completed by the end of the “construction season,” translating to roughly the end of autumn.
If not prior to the end of 2023, the park will see completion in early 2024, should final landscaping be required, and assuming favourable weather conditions during the construction process.
As a public park, it will be open to all residents throughout the community and the town.