Rebuilding the beaches at Sam Smith Park - Disability Impact 2025

The park fencing has gone up as of the end of 2024, and we are anticipating heavy construction vehicles over the first 3 to 4 months of 2025. This has already been delayed by 8 months.

The vehicles will likely ruin the eastern pea gravel path going into SSP. This, combined with the soft and muddy ground resulting from the winter freeze/thaw cycle, will likely disrupt the spring return of wheelchair and elderly folks into the park.

Hopefully the work will be well executed and completed in a timely fashion over the next 2-3 years, unlike the endless construction at Prince of Wales park, nearby at the end of Third St.

Time will tell....

Rebuilding the beaches at Sam Smith Park - Disability Impact

NOTE: This activity has now been delayed a few months, until June 2024

Today I wheeled through the park and encountered a band of surveyors between the pond and third beach.

I spoke to the lead surveyor who stated that they were measuring the pea gravel paths to determine their width for heavy equipment which would be required to carry out the work next year.  Additionally, he was there to determine the impact of the heavy equipment on tree roots underneath the path.

This work will definitely impact the access of disabled park users, as the heavy equipment on the heavy traffic pea gravel routes would likely become impassable by wheelchair users, while vision impaired visitors would likely be unable to process audible environmental clues needed to make their way through the park unaided.

DASSP has learned of a Lakeshore Grounds Committee community group, of with FOSS is a member, operating out of Humber College, which learns of these project ahead of time.  DASSP will be seeking to participate in these meetings going forward, so that we can represent the needs of the mobility, visibility and hearing impaired park users, as well as the elderly.

As far as DASSP is aware, this work would commence sometime in 2024.  We would seek to ensure that all paths remain wide enough for disabled access, and advise on any other access impact/issues that we are currently unaware of.