Adding riverbank access wouldn’t be cheap: city report

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This article was published 03/06/2022 (1419 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Six sites in Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry could be suited to all-season public river access but adding a year-round entry point wouldn’t be easy or come cheap.

“The design and construction of a permanent access to the river ice level at any of these top six locations is considered feasible but costly, and with inevitable and potentially onerous maintenance requirements. As such, temporary and removable facilities should also be considered as a solution moving forward,” writes James Veitch, the city’s manager of urban planning and design, in a city report.

City staff detailed the following top options for river access in the ward:

Fort Rouge Park: This site has conceptual plans for a pedestrian and cycling bridge that include a river access location, although the project isn’t yet funded and the riverbank is “known to be unstable.”

Gerald Lynch Park: This site had a removable dock but the property is narrow, which could make construction of a universal access point complex and costly.

Hugo Dock: The existing dock is suitable for boats, but retrofits would be required for universal access. The site has access to the Assiniboine River trail (the winter skating and walking trail maintained by The Forks).

Maryland/Sherbrook Bridge and/or Cornish Library: This site has a mid-bank plaza but retrofits would be needed to make the paths universally accessible and extend them to the river.

Mostyn Park/Granite Curling Club: Paths already connect to the mid-bank in a high-traffic area, which can access the Assiniboine River trail. However, it’s expected an access point would require riverbank stabilization work.

Assiniboine riverwalk: It’s already a popular destination and is universally accessible. It includes Bonnycastle Park, the legislature and McFadyen Park, which might be good candidates for a permanent or seasonal, universally accessible access to the ice surface in winter. Modification would be needed.

While all city-owned properties and public rights-of-way were assessed, city staff deem only these six sites to have the potential to add a river access point, noting others were hindered by lack of space, safety concerns, negative effect on forests and/or conflicts with other infrastructure.

Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital), the head of council’s water and waste committee, said he doesn’t expect the city will rush to fund a new river access, due to competing budget demands.

“It’s not a top priority. If it is for a councillor, they’re going to have to find the funding, given our budget challenges right now,” said Mayes.

However, the councillor for Fort Rouge said the city should continue to explore options for river access, even if funding isn’t immediately available.

“We do know (some) neighbourhoods and residents hold this as a priority,” said Coun. Sherri Rollins. “We should discuss this further to make sure… the majority of Winnipeggers have an access point that makes sense to them and I don’t care which ward it’s in.”

The public service does not recommend council take any specific action on the file.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga