EMA Spring Tour – Westminster Pier Park – April 26th, 2012

The April EMA tour will be a sneak peak of the award-winning Brownfield restoration project on the waterfront of New Westminster.

The historic New Westminster waterfront is seeing a long-awaited renewal, highlighted by the construction of a 3.2-ha public park on former industrial lands adjacent to (and over) the Fraser River. With funding help from the Federal and Provincial Governments through the Build Canada fund, the City has turned a derelict pier into a public space that combines natural and built features, performance space, playgrounds, and other amenities.

Typically, site assessment, remediation and risk assessment are done before re-development; however the funding agreement required a compressed schedule. A creative approach for marine foundation design allowed many early works to proceed prior to completion of final designs. High contamination levels were discovered in the foreshore sediments and at depth in upland groundwater after construction had commenced, requiring a restructured execution plan and innovative approaches to remediation and risk management. For these efforts, the project has been recognized with a “Brownie” Award from the Canadian Urban Institute and a Sustainable Communities Award from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

As the Westminster Pier Park prepares for its public opening in May, the EMA will be offering a behind-the-scenes tour, led by representatives from Worley Parsons, the Consulting Engineers retained by the City of New Westminster to coordinate the development of the Park Master Plan, and provide the design and environmental services to transform the site. Representatives from the City’s Engineering, Parks, and Planning departments will also be there to answer questions and provide the background behind the motivation for the project.

The Details:

Tour will begin @ 3:30pm on Thurs April 26, and last for 60-90 minutes.

We will meet at the Fraser River Discovery Centre, at 788 Quayside Drive in New Westminster. Show up a half hour early and take a walk through the museum, suggested donation: $5.  Google Map

After the tour, there will be a networking/socializing opportunity at the nearby Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia Street in Downtown New Westminster (we will be in the “back room” and will provide finger foods).  Google Map

Important!

The Park is a active construction site, please bring hard hats and high-vis vest of you have, a few extras will be available to borrow. We will also be outside on the waterfront for an hour, dress for the weather.

For more information on the Westminster Pier Park (including links to the Master Plan, Investigation and Remediation reports), Click Here: