Long-sought renovations to the Minnow Lake boardwalk have been completed, with a grand opening celebration slated to take place in the near future.
“It’s beautiful,” Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc said, adding, ”Everyone is happy with it, so now we’re just waiting to set up a grand opening.”
Hampering this week’s soft opening is the fact a northern stretch of the boardwalk has been temporarily closed, with the herbicide Habitat Aqua applied to manage the invasive plant phragmites on Thursday. That afternoon, an orange snow fence was seen cordoning off two sections of the boardwalk.
Although the boardwalk’s temporary closure was news to Minnow Lake Restoration Group president John Lindsay, he said the city seldom notifies the public of such things.
Sudbury.com asked a City of Greater Sudbury spokesperson how much the boardwalk renovation cost the city, as well as when it would fully re-open, and are awaiting a response.*
*Editor's note: Since the story was initially published, Sudbury.com received a response from the city indicating they've yet to calculate the final cost, and the fencing for phragmites will be removed sometime next week.
Lindsay said phragmites are an existing concern on the lake, and that chemical treatment tends to be fast-acting. He suspects the boardwalk will be fully reopened to the public soon.
“That’s about the only way you can control phragmites, is by chemical application, because digging it up just creates more roots,” he said.
As for the boardwalk restoration, Lindsay credits Leduc with championing the project at city hall.
Indeed, during 2022 budget deliberations in late 2021, Leduc pushed for the project’s inclusion, which his colleagues on city council unanimously supported.
At the time, the trail was a mix of boardwalk, stone and gravel, with one area at the northern side washed out and cordoned off by the city.
Now, the boardwalk portion of the trail, which runs between the east side of Minnow Lake and Bancroft Drive, extends throughout the duration of the path, with gravel used at its northern and southern entrances.
“I’ve got nothing but compliments from residents on it,” Leduc said. “It’s another gem in the city.”
The city’s 2022 business case for the project cites its total budgeted cost as being $392,500, drawn from city reserves. The project was necessary due to path deterioration, due in part to two large culverts outleting into Minnow Lake.
The project was to consist of removing retaining walls, drainage work and raising the path. The initial plan spoke of replacing a stone path with a hard-packed granular surface. Instead, a true boardwalk consisting of treated wood now stretches much of its length.
By raising the path, the city anticipated mitigating future maintenance requirements.
Sudbury.com will update this story with the latest information from the city regarding when the path is slated to fully reopen, and how much it cost, as soon as they respond to our inquiry.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.