By: 
KELSEY JAMES
STAFF REPORTER
CRESCENTWOOD
The Corydon Community Centre’s Crescentwood site (1170 Corydon Ave.) will soon be home to a new $1.5 million splash pad and play structure.
The application was approved at the May 30 City Centre community committee meeting. The report recommended that additional funding of $265,000 — for a total of $465,000 — be used from the City Centre community committee land dedication reserve fund to assist the City of Winnipeg community services department with building the structures.
“Crescentwood is the oldest playground in our area, so it needs a refresh,” Corydon Community Centre general manager Abbie Bajon said. “The splash pad in River Heights is very well-used, so we know there’s a need in our area for these types of facilities. It’ll be a great addition and take some of the pressure off the one in River Heights.”
Plans for what the splash pad and play structure will look like will be confirmed in future meetings as things move forward, Bajon said.
”I think the community in that area and around that area will be very happy to see a new structure,” she added. “It’s a busy playground as well, and there’s baseball and different things going on at the facility, so for kids to be able to go and play is great.”
Coun. John Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry) said a new splash pad is something the community has been pushing for — especially at the Corydon Community Centre’s Crescentwood site.
“During the pandemic, the River Heights spray pad was bursting at the seams,” Orlikow said. “There was so many people using it, it was actually getting difficult to manage. There was a high demand for a spray pad, so the opportunity came up with the revitalization of the play structure at Crescentwood to put those two project together. It’ll take some pressure off the River Heights site and provide a new way that people will be able to use the Crescentwood location.”
The Corydon Community Centre’s Crescentwood location was chosen as a potential site for the development due to its access to washroom facilities, parking and multi-use amenities. The new spray pad will replace the community centre’s current wading pool and will be accessible and have longer operating hours.
“I know the Crescentwood and Grant Park neighbourhoods and the ones surrounding are going to be very excited about it,” Orlikow said. “It will draw people in, because there aren’t a lot of spray pads around that area, at all.”
Aside from the spray pad and play structure, an approved $5,400 will also help the Corydon Community Centre revitalize its batting cages at 1170 Corydon Ave. and 1 Sir John Franklin Rd. (the centre’s Sir John Franklin site).
The funding will also come from the City Centre community committee land reservation fund for the project, which will include installing support crossbars and zip tie netting, straightening and reinstalling poles, fixing the fencing and purchasing baseball netting.
”Baseball has increased in numbers over the last couple of years, and we’ve also increased our softball numbers so I think it’ll be a great thing to have fixed up and usable,” Bajon said.
The batting cage revitalization is expected to begin this month and be complete by Sept. 30, while construction on the splash pad and play structure is slated to start this September after the nearby daycare uses the existing wading pool over the summer. The project should be ready by next spring or summer.
Kelsey James
Community Journalist
Kelsey James is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. She graduated from Red River College’s creative communications program in 2018 as a journalism major and holds a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric, writing and communications from the University of Winnipeg. A lifelong Winnipegger who grew up in southwest Winnipeg, Kelsey is thrilled to be covering the neighbourhoods she still calls “home.”