Winterization efforts have begun in Fort St John as the city tries to help its spray pad avoid feeling the morning frost and other icy inconveniences in its parks.
The Rotary Spray Park will be closed as temperatures are expected to begin dropping next week and there’s a chance of frost, the city said. A seven-day forecast for Fort St John shows warm daytimes, with temperatures in the late-teens and early twenties. However, the weather takes a stark dip overnight. It will be five degrees Celsius on Sunday night and four degrees on Monday night.
“Contractors will also be completing some spray park surface repairs in the next couple of days,” the city added, asking residents to stay out of the roped off area.
Park washrooms city-wide are also being winterized, with select restrooms remaining open for public use. Residents in need of relief will have to go to Matthews Park, Garrison Park, or the east and west side of Kin Park. The other facilities will remain locked until spring.
Fort St John city council is also beginning to prepare for the cold. The council voted to award a snow removal company the contract for some city-owned parking lots during their last meeting. The company will be responsible for the snow clearing in municipal parking lots, including City Hall and the local RCMP detachment, and recreation centres’ parking lots.
“The contractor is required to provide routine snow clearing, including salting and sanding intended to eliminate, reduce or mitigate hazards,” wrote staff in their guidelines for applicants.
City staff’s report did not state how much the city would pay in exchange for its three-year term, which began this month.
