The City of Edmonton is gearing up to place the final touches on William Hawrelak Park’s rehabilitation project in the coming months. Jesse Banford, director of Facility Infrastructure Delivery with the city, told CTV News Edmonton in an emailed statement that construction on the project which began in 2023 will finish by the fall. “The William Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation Project is in the final year of construction and continues on time and on budget, with many of the ‘finishing touches’ being added this summer and fall,” Banford said. Construction crews made “substantial” progress on the park’s picnic shelters, pavilion and the operations yard which includes the Heritage Festival’s storage. Earlier in the spring, electrical, landscaping and paving work began again. The playground equipment was also installed. This summer, crews will finish landscaping and work to refill the park. “Landscaping (trees, shrubs, grass, etc.) will need time to establish and develop a strong root system before the park can reopen to the public,” Banford said. A new update is expected in the next few months when more progress has been made into landscaping and pathways for foot traffic. Background Hawrelak Park, which officially opened under the name Mayfair Park in 1968, closed for rehabilitation in March 2023 to address aging infrastructure. The $134.6 million-project included extensive work on electrical systems, park roads, cleaning and grading the park. By 2024, construction crews had replaced utility services, made a retaining wall along the main pavilion plaza and installed electrical infrastructure for better pathway lighting. Additional upgrades to the park will include accessible seating in the amphitheater, accessible all-seasons washrooms and wired hearing loops for the hearing impaired. The city also worked to improve the water quality of the park lake. Banford said park operations will prepare the space with benches, signage and picnic tables as construction activity slows down.
