A renovation project at the home of Salt Spring’s Saturday Market was set to resume this week, according to officials, and is still on schedule for completion before vendors’ “opening day” this spring.
Delays for the Centennial Park revitalization were weather related, according to Salt Spring Electoral Area manager Dan Ovington, who said while crews can work in most conditions, the extreme cold was beyond the tolerances of the materials themselves.
“We can’t pour [concrete] in those temperatures,” said Ovington, answering a question from Local Community Commission (LCC) member Ben Corno at that body’s Feb. 1 meeting. Ovington added that concrete pouring was scheduled for the coming week, and the effects of predicted rain could be mitigated by tarps.
“We’re still on schedule to be done March 15,” said Ovington, which is two weeks before the Salt Spring Saturday Market Society’s planned first market on March 30.
The Centennial Park upgrade has been underway since the beginning of November 2023 — right after the Saturday Market officially ended its season Oct. 28 — with crews removing and replacing the concrete and brick pavers, improving drainage and landscaping and adding lighting. The rush to beat inclement weather displaced many hoping to use the park during the winter; Salt Spring’s Remembrance Day ceremony plans were largely shifted to Fulford-Ganges Road in front of the park, although park crews were able to move fencing to ensure access to the cenotaph, as well as the sidewalk, washroom and playground, for the event.
The project launched thanks to a $561,748 grant from Pacific Economic Development Canada, $298,000 of Community Works funding and $100,000 from the Salt Spring Island Parks and Recreation capital reserve fund — and is technically ahead of schedule, having been initially planned for completion by March 31.