Hazelwood Crescent Park improvements open to improve safety, accessibility

Visitors to Hazelwood Crescent Park will notice some upgrades to its playground and accessibility next time they stroll through.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony held Oct. 2 officially recognized improvements made to the park in St. Vital.

Those improvements included enhanced safety additions for the park's play area and improved access to the site, according to the City of Winnipeg.

Safety surfacing under existing play areas was replaced and a new two- to five-year-old play equipment area was installed. The path and ramp in the area were replaced with crushed limestone and the path was extended to Hazelwood Crescent.

The project cost the City around $129,000 and was funded by the 2019 Parks and Recreation Enhancement Program and the 2020 Golf Lands Repurposing Review and Recreation Amenities.

Mayor Brian Bowman and Brian Mayes, city counsellor for the St. Vital ward, participated in the small ceremony Friday.

"When we have a well-used and appreciated playground like this one is, it is important that we’re able to ensure it remains safe and accessible for those who enjoy it," Bowman says.

The mayor says the improvements made in the park will benefit students at the nearby Dr. D.W. Penner School and young families in the area who visit the playground.

Mayes called the park a "cherished community space," adding his own personal pleasure at seeing the park's improvements completed.

"My own mom taught kindergarten at Penner during the 1980s and I am very proud to support this school and its student all these years later," Mayes says.