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by Bill Bishop
It's happening. With our success in obtaining a $58000 grant
from the Trillium Foundation we will now begin Phase II of the Riverbank
Project, terracing of the hillside at the Centennial plaza. We still need some
additional funding but are confident that there will be additional
contributions once work gets underway on May 10. Perhaps there are some ex
Deep Riverites who have not yet "gotten around to it".
After the site is cleared and excavation completed, we will be constructing a
four foot high retaining wall following roughly the edge of the existing
pavement. A second retaining wall will then be erected about 20 feet closer to
the river and the space from the bottom of the first wall to the top of the
second will be levelled to create a terrace some 120 feet in length. Through
the generosity of the Community Foundation the terrace will be finished with
interlocking paving stones. Access to the terrace will be by a wheel chair
accessible ramp. The Rotary Club has donated a timber shelter so that visitors
will enjoy shade on those hot sunny afternoons and shelter from the rain for
picnics or just sitting.
Upriver from the terrace we will use low retaining walls to
create a number of grassed terraces which will provide seating areas facing a
staging area at the river shore. That will be our outdoor theatre where we
will have events throughout the summer months. Performers will have to compete
with our million dollar view of the river.
We have just completed pads along the walking path for park benches and picnic
tables and the light poles are ready for installation. We can't wire up the
lights until the terrace work is complete.
We have always promoted Riverbank as a community project and the community has
come through with its support. When completed, the project, the walking path
and terraces, will have cost approximately $250,000. The Town of Deep River
will have contributed $66,000 but the remainder has come from residents, local
businesses and granting agencies. A lot of work on fundraising by our
volunteers but thirteen families have come forward to contribute $13,000 for
park benches.
And we will be helping to keep local people employed. Our construction
contractor is Deep River based and we are using Valley suppliers to the extent
that we can.
The terraces will be officially opened on the Summerfest weekend and the first
event will be an ecumenical church service on the Sunday morning. We are
looking forward to staging additional events on the weekend
Our current unwelcoming river bank
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