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Ruth Bonneville \/ Free Press Files<\/p>\n
The St. Vital Park duck pond is set to get an update, with a new design scheduled to be completed this year and construction expected in 2027.<\/p>\n
The city has budgeted just under $3 million in 2027 to dredge the pond and naturalize its basin. Federal gas tax dollars are expected to cover that tab.<\/p>\n
Mayes said the site is a popular \u201ccentrepiece\u201d of the park year-round, with skating in the winter months, and has served multiple generations of Winnipeggers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s sort of unspoiled. There\u2019s no commercial presence around the pond. The pavilion is well-used for everything from weddings to an organizing place for a lot of the runs that go through the park,\u201d said Mayes.<\/p>\n
However, the pond has attracted complaints about pollution, partly because it\u2019s also proven very attractive to geese.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe shallowness of the pond has become an issue. We\u2019ve got (algae) growth, we\u2019ve got a ton of goose poop going in there, so we do need to get the algae out, get the pond deepened and hopefully that will help us maintain a cleaner pond,\u201d said Mayes.<\/p>\n
Dave Domke, the city\u2019s manager of parks and open space, said the pond has grown shallower over time, as organic matter builds up at the bottom.<\/p>\n
Algae has also built up in many recent years, especially during summers with less rainfall.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of years of a lot of algal growth.\u2026 We do get concerns and complaints,\u201d said Domke.<\/p>\n
A deeper pond is expected to help the water stay cooler, which is less conducive to the growth of that pollution.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t BROOK JONES \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n The St. Vital Duck Pond has attracted complaints about pollution, partly because it\u2019s proven to be very attractive to geese.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t The project will also partly naturalize the site, an effort that will reintroduce native plants. Domke said that should help deter some geese.<\/p>\n \u201cYou put a lot higher growth in the natural plant material and they can\u2019t see predators as well, so that they don\u2019t like to hang out there as much,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Mayes said the city will also spend about $1 million to pave roads in St. Vital Park this year. He said the park has received about $11 million of upgrades since 2011.<\/p>\n joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n X: @joyanne_pursaga<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Joyanne Pursaga Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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