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Words on the riverfront

The Riverfront Design Review Committee unveiled its new park concept on Nov. 9, and while the plans look promising, care should be taken to ensure that the park works practically for the people of Athabasca.

The Riverfront Design Review Committee unveiled its new park concept on Nov. 9, and while the plans look promising, care should be taken to ensure that the park works practically for the people of Athabasca.

In the evening’s open house, there were many good ideas presented that would increase the utility of the space.

EDA Collaborative Consulting – who worked on the original plans 20 years ago – presented concepts like creating a theme throughout the whole park that would tie it to Athabasca’s downtown, and using the heritage of the region as a tourism draw.

Using attractive landscaping features such as benches, trees, artistic shrubbery and creative lighting would also make the area more appealing, and creating spaces for use in different seasons – such as a skating rink – would allow residents of Athabasca to get more use out of the space.

However, given the feedback from those who attended the review committee’s open house, it’s clear that members of the community are concerned that eagerness to rebrand and enhance the riverfront space could strip it of the things that make it unique and practically useful.

Improved lighting on the waterfront could increase light pollution and reduce the view of the sky.

Planting trees and shrubbery along the paths could reduce access to the dock for boat launches.

Expanding the park space for family use could be dangerous is speed and safety controls aren’t placed on the highway that runs next to the river.

Conscious efforts have to be made to engage businesses that will share the space with the park and participate in its development or the space.

These are all problems with achievable solutions that this process is designed to discover before cheques are written and construction begins.

Feedback like this from the community is precisely the reason why the review committee held the open house.

The riverfront park will be the centrepiece of Athabasca for years to come. As the project moves forward, it will be important to continue engaging with the community as it evolves to make sure that every addition, tweak and change to the plan adds to the experience of those who will use it.

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