Reservoir work to cause park disruptions
An off-leash pet area and tennis courts at Sir Winston Churchill Park will be inaccessible for the next two years as extensive renovations to the St. Clair reservoir underneath the park get under way this fall, residents were told at a June 3 community meeting.
“This is temporary pain for multi-generational gain,” Ward 21 councillor Joe Mihevc said of the construction project, which city staff expect to be completed by the spring of 2018. “That reservoir supplies water for a good part of midtown Toronto, and this project will maintain its safety, health and reliability for so many of us on both sides of St. Clair for many, many years to come.”
The reservoir, which consists of two basins underneath the 301 St. Clair Ave. West park, was built in 1930. Renovations will include waterproofing, structural rehabilitation, valve replacement and repair of the nearby valve houses.
Several trees will be removed during construction, but city staff plan to replace as many as possible when the project ends. The off-leash area and tennis courts are also expected to be restored once renovations are complete.
While parts of the park will remain open during construction, city staff suggest dog walkers use nearby Wychwood Barns, Hillcrest Park or Cedarvale Park as off-leash alternatives, or neighbouring Wells Hill Park, at 145 Hilton Ave., for on-leash walks.
