City staff say underground conditions at Nunns Creek Park may pose challenges for park development, such as new play fields.
As a consequence, the city is delaying a second public event scheduled to gather input into the future of the Campbellton area park.
Ross Milnthorp, the city’s parks, recreation and culture manager, said that city staff has been poring over the history of Nunns Creek Park and in the process discovered that some of the fill the park sits on may have included woody debris, such as stumps.
“To better understand these challenges, the city is proceeding with a geotechnical investigation,” Milnthorp said. “We just want to make sure that we know that info in the decision making process.”
Milnthorp said that subsurface conditions could be problematic if the decision is made to build new fields at Nunns Creek.
During a June 23 public consultation session on the future of both Nunns Creek Park and Willow Point’s Frank James Park, the public was asked what they would like to see happen long-term at both sites.
Milnthorp said there was a high degree of support for returning the Nature Trust’s portion of Nunns Creek Park (the wooded areas and trails) back to their natural condition. For the city-owned lands, Milnthorp said the city is trying to determine whether the community prefers to retain the area for sporting use or transform the park into some other public use, such as exhibition grounds.
The consensus coming out of the June public open house was for renewal at the park, with suggestions for expanded event space, an off-leash dog facility, a nature play area, community gardens and a water park.
The suggestions put forward at that session were expected to go back to the community at a second public consultation session on Aug. 30.
However, because of the need for an underground analysis, which may or not have an impact on future development, that event is now being pushed back to sometime in early November.
Milnthorp said the underground investigation is likely to begin soon. He said core samples from the ground will be taken out and the material will be analyzed to determine what the city could be dealing with.
“We’re just trying to cover all of the bases here,” Milnthorp said.