New corner park to become community hub

Elmwood

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/05/2024 (513 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new public space is now open for residents, organizations, and businesses in Elmwood to use to bring the community together.

On May 13, an official ribbon cutting ceremony was held at 243 Henderson Hwy., which is now home to an outdoor event space, after years of work behind the scenes. The space held a soft-launch in October 2023, right before the snow began to fall. This summer, the space will be well-used by local partners, with programming beginning at the end of May.

“This has been a long time coming,” Michel Durand-Wood, chair of ReImagine Elmwood and the Glenelm Neighbourhood Association, told the crowd assembled to celebrate the space’s grand opening.

In 2013, the newly formed Chalmers Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation drafted its initial five-year strategic plan. Community use of 243 Henderson Hwy., which at the time was a vacant former gas station, was among those priorities. By 2015, the group had begun serious talks with the City of Winnipeg and Suncor, the corporation which owns the land, along with other stakeholders and area organizations and businesses, on how they could make better use of the space.

Durand-Wood said it has always been a part of ReImagine Elmwood’s goals to make “changes in Elmwood to make it a more comfortable, happier place” to live, work, or visit. This project fits right into that mandate, he said.

“This space will be usable by the community, for the community,” he added.

“This is going to be such a great place for our community,” said Leilani Esteban Villarba, executive director of the Chalmers Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation, adding there is already a lot of excitement in the neighbourhood around events being planned for this summer.

“It’s super-exciting that we’re at this point,” added Liz Plett, CNRC’s housing support co-ordinator, before thanking extensive list of partners, sponsors, and stakeholders involved with the project.

Coun. Jason Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan), who has worked with the group on the project since before he was elected to city council in 2014, said he was also “very excited” about the project finally coming online, noting that to date, the Elmwood-East Kildonan ward has allocated $100,000 towards the project.

“This is one more tool to bring more people to this neighbourhood and experience what we have in Elmwood,” said Brett Zagozewski, the new owner of Bikes & Beyond, adding he is very excited for staff at the store and other businesses to use the space to eat lunch, when weather allows.

Kicking off programming at 243 Henderson Hwy., CNRC will host Chalmers Pride, which will run from May 27 to 31. Each day will feature a new event, including live music, food, drinks, and more, starting at 5:30 p.m. Entry is free. For more information, call 204-699-0750.