LAC LA BICHE - Work on Phase 2 of the $10 million McArthur Park Revitalization project is wrapping up for the season, including the installation of 120,000 square feet of new sod.
Throughout the late summer months and into autumn, County-contracted crews worked to install the grass. The work involved taking sod from large palettes that were delivered to the site by forklifts, and placing it onto a cleared area close to McArthur Place where paved trails were recently built and trees planted as part of the ongoing, three-year modernization of McArthur Park. The third and final phase of the project is slated to be wrapped up next fall.
According to Jihad Moghrabi, a spokesperson for Lac La Biche County, there are a few more areas where sod will be installed in the park renovation – but that won’t happen until 2025.
“The remaining areas that are not sodded are part of next year’s scope of work,” he told the Lac la Biche Post on Oct. 16.
Moghrabi stated that while there is no carry-over work going into the third and final phase of the McArthur Park Revitalization project with regards to sodding, he said there may be a need to be some sod repairs in the spring if officials find any damaged areas over the winter months, or areas that didn't grow.
Moghrabi says community members can help to keep problem areas to a minimum by keeping off the freshly sodded areas as the grass tries to grow.
“However, we hope all pedestrian traffic stays on the paved trails until the sod fully establishes next spring,” he said.
The McArthur Park project was initially budgeted for $6.3 million, but that number changed to $7.3 million last year. At a meeting Lac La Biche County council on Oct. 1, that number ballooned again, this time to $10 million.
The 2024 phase of the project, municipal officials said, was also about $400,000 over its projected budget. Officials hope to make up the funds with efficiencies in the 2025 construction year.
The makeover of the popular community park-which was once home to softball and baseball diamonds-includes new lighting, trails, a boat dock, pier, picnic benches, and a skate park.
