The duck pond at St. Vital Park is getting a major upgrade thanks to a multi-million-dollar pledge. Mayor Scott Gillingham and Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) announced $3.395 million in funding to revitalize the area. “It’s just such a beautiful space that is enjoyed by not only people from St. Vital but folks from across the city as well,” said Gillingham. “These are the kinds of investments that may not seem like the most exciting in many ways but they really do go toward enhancing the spaces that we rely on and the services the citizens of Winnipeg depend upon.” The revitalization will include dredging the pond, making the basin more naturalized and improving the pathways. The city said the pond will be deepened to make it a more natural water system, which will help prevent algal growth. As well, the naturalization that the city does will help deter geese from settling in the area, which will reduce the amount of goose poop on the ground. On top of the $3.395 million, another $1.2 million will go toward road paving upgrades in the park. “I believe that in the coming years, as this work is completed, it’ll improve the quality of the pond. It’ll include our road infrastructure and some of the other assets the people of Winnipeg depend upon to enjoy this park.” Mayes said this announcement is a full circle moment for him, as he helped open the new pavilion when he first joined council 15 years ago, and now the park will be getting a facelift as his time on council comes to an end. “This park means a lot to me and we’ve done a lot of announcements here. So it’s very nice to have one right at the end,” said Mayes. “I came to this park as a kid. I came to this park as a high school athlete. I came to this park as a parent. I’m still here, not as a high school athlete, but I’m still training. The loops now don’t take six minutes, they take nine minutes if you’re going at a decent pace. But I’m still getting use out of this park.” The design for the area is already being worked on and construction is scheduled to start next year.
