Over $4 Million Budgeted for Kelowna City Parks

It’s only March, but it already feels and looks like summer here in the Okanagan. Springing into the sunny season, the City of Kelowna will be embarking, as well as continuing, on several park development projects in the near future.

Photo credit: KelownaNow.

Budgeting over $4 million, the City is expected to rejuvenate, develop, and add to Kelowna public spaces, and soon enough citizens will be able to enjoy the great outdoors in some of the City’s most beloved parks.

Park and Building Projects Manager, Andrew Gibbs said he’s most excited to finish up the expansion of Stuart Park.

“It’s been a park in development for many years and it’s becoming really popular for the citizens, and to be able to finish it off and leave a nice green space against the water would be a really important goal for us,” added Gibbs.

Phase two for the Stuart Park expansion project is well underway and is expected to finish up by May. Added features include a waterfront promenade and additional grass space. The budget for this ongoing project is $1.9 million.

Photo credit: City of Kelowna.

Rutland Centennial Park is currently in the first phase of a multi-year program that will include irrigation, topsoil, and grading work, as well as the implementation of a soccer field. The budget for the Rutland project is $400,000.

Photo credit: City of Kelowna.

Other parks on the radar include Munson Park, Mission Creek Greenway Park, and Knox Mountain Park. Both Mission Creek Greenway Park and Know Mountain Park will see upgraded biking and walking trails, as well as a new staging area for Greenway.

Non-park related developments include the cemetery expansion. Totally in at $910,000, the cemetery is expected to see an increase in capacity and additional landscaping. The project is scheduled to begin in August 2015 and finish up around November 2015.

Check in next Wednesday when KelownaNow will be featuring the Queensway and South Pandosy transit exchange projects.