The City of Winnipeg is announcing that this fall construction will begin for a new spray pad, playground and other park features at Corydon Community Centre.

"The new spray pad and the replacement of the playground at the Corydon Community Centre will offer families in River Heights an accessible place to cool off on those hot summer days," says Honourable Jim Carr, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. "Generations of River Heights residents have benefitted from the programming offered at the three community centres that joined forces to form the Corydon Community Centre. In partnership with the City of Winnipeg and the Government of Manitoba, we are investing so that the youth of today can come to know and love the programming that was such an integral part of their parents' and grandparents' upbringing."

The spray pad will be 3,000 square feet and accessible for all residents. In addition to a new spray pad and playground, there are also plans for concrete pathways, seating area, fencing, benches, picnic tables, bike rack and upgraded landscaping. The project will begin in the fall with an anticipated opening by the summer of 2024.

"This year, we have provided almost $26 million in grant assistance through the Building Sustainable Communities fund for over 4430 community development projects," says Municipal Relations Minister Eileen Clarke. "The spray pad and playground at the Corydon Community Centre will provide summer fun for years to come in River Heights."

Council approved funding for the project through the COVID-19 Economic Response and Recovery Plan, which focuses on enhancing transportation, improving regional park infrastructure, and adding accessible recreational amenities in underserved areas of the city.

The spray pad and integrated play structure announcement today shows what happens when all levels of government work with area councillors who use their understanding of local needs to direct funding to projects that benefit the community we all serve," said John Orlikow, Councillor for River Heights - Fort Garry. "This is going to be an amazing addition to our neighbourhood and for families."

The estimated budget of the project is $1.442 million, with $811,000 of the project budget funded through the federal Canada Community-Building Fund, $300,000 from the provincial Building Sustainable Communities Program, and $331,000 from the City of Winnipeg.

"We're very excited today to be announcing this splash pad and playground project. This upgrade is going to be a wonderful addition to all the facilities we have at the Community Center and we're excited for the Community to be able to use this next summer," says Abbie Bajon, General Manager at Corydon Community Centre in the City of Winnipeg's live stream this morning. "This is going to allow families to gather, meet and members of the Community to create long-lasting memories. These facilities are so well used. As John mentioned, we have our River Heights splash pad and it has 500 plus people there every day."

"It's definitely overused and this is going to be a great addition to this community as well as our surrounding communities. I believe that these spaces are so important for our Community, they're free spaces that are open longer hours in some of our buildings, and they give people a chance to come gather, meet neighbors, make long lasting friendships, and just create memories with their own families and others in the community. I want to thank everybody who's been involved in this project for making it happen."

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