WINNIPEG, MB – Beginning this week, construction crews are giving part of a city block of Spence Street between Portage and Ellice Avenues a substantial facelift which will add green space, basketball courts, a bandstand and an event-ready area for community and campus use.
The Spence Street Promenade, constructed with pedestrian and cycling-friendly paving stones, will feature new shrubs and trees, a stage with sound capacity for outdoor performances, space for kiosks and room for recreational activities such as ball hockey or basketball as well as low seating walls. Located in the portion of Spence Street that is already closed to vehicular traffic, the Promenade can be used for community street festivals and university activities such as Homecoming and Convocation events. It will be a designated smoke-free area.
The Spence Street renewal project is made possible thanks to a $1,276,680 Provincial government grant to create a bus loop between Young and Spence streets and improve transit access. Developed in partnership with the local community, this is the second phase of the Portage Commons initiative funded through the Winnipeg Partnership Agreement – the first phase involved the redevelopment of the University’s front lawn into a public park in the summer of 2007. This project will be completed by the end of August 2009.
