SAULT STE. MARIE -- The City of Sault Ste. Marie will begin its revitalization project of the Jamestown area this summer.
On top of fresh greenery, new pathways and paving, city officials said a stage and skate park will now be included in the plans.
"Those were things requested through our public consultation phases," said Stephen Turco, a senior planner with the city.
The stage will be similar to one already in the city's downtown core, Turco said.
"The idea of a stage was heard from the residents as an opportunity to provide some type of cultural facility, should they want to host some kind of event," he said. "I think this will certainly allow them to do that in the future."
Turco said feedback from the public consultations also provided some other surprising results.
"Out of all the things, I thought it was quite interesting, the neighbours in the area wanted more colour," he said. "They wanted more vibrancy in the area, so we have a plan for that."
A new pathway and flowerbeds will be added to accommodate the request.
According to the city, the plan is to get residents out and help paint murals along the paths.
"Some of the work is already happening down in the green space area," said Virginia McLeod, the city's recreational and cultural manager. "So, hopefully, they'll be kind of staged over the course of the summer with probably the skate part being one of the latter pieces."
McLeod said much of the work that gets finished throughout the summer will be dependant on pandemic restrictions at the time.
A planned basketball court will not make it this year, she added, but the city intends to complete it in 2022.
