New waterfront park planned for Stratford

The Town of Stratford is making plans to redevelop its waterfront and take better advantage of the views across Charlottetown Harbour.

"I hope it's a place that residents of Stratford want to go to, I hope it's a place they want to take visitors to go see," said Tina Beers, the New Brunswick landscape architect developing the project.

"I really hope that it's one that is bustling with people that are coming down to see the glorious view."

The green space south of Hillsborough Bridge is largely undeveloped. Beers led a town meeting Wednesday evening to show some of her plans for the park, and to get more public input.

"Linear green space, with a strong boardwalk along the waterfront edge and incorporating a lot of seating opportunities, with some ornamental planting that really softens the edge and creates a visual interest throughout the seasons," she said.

The park will also include a link to the Hillsborough Bridge. The plan is to builda gateway feature that will create a sense of arrival into the town.

A central part of the plan is greenery to disguise the sewage lagoons. For years residents have complained of the smell coming from the sewage system. Mayor David Dunphy said that won't be a problem in the new park.

"We've done a lot of work through the winter to ensure that that odour is minimized, if any at all," he said.

His goal is to transform the space into a place residents will be proud to use.

Construction should begin this summer with the park ready by the fall. There is a second phase planned, but there is no timeline on that work yet.