Refresh Water Street; Engage and Share your ideas

The City is currently in the planning phase for the replacement of century-old infrastructure beneath Water Street, between Waldegrave Street and Prescott Street. Work will begin in spring 2016 and will span several years. In advance of the project the City is asking residents, visitors and businesses to weigh in and share their opinions and ideas about how Water Street could be improved as this work is completed.
 
“Water Street is North America’s oldest street and the infrastructure replacement project provides a wonderful opportunity to think about what we can do to improve one of our most unique streets,” said Councillor Dave Lane, Councillor at Large. “We are providing many opportunities for people to share their ideas with us both online and in person, and will also be holding targeted meetings with downtown stakeholders.”
 
Residents, businesses and visitors are encouraged to visit the Engage St. John’s webpage, to sign up and explore what would make Water Street function better and what features could enhance its already unique qualities. The online engagement community will provide information about upcoming events and includes an online survey and idea generator for exploring how Water Street could be refreshed. People can also explore the historical journey of Water Street in the photo gallery which spans from the late 1800s to today.
 
“We are hosting several events throughout the City and on the street itself to make it as easy as possible for everyone to provide input,” said Councillor Lane. “In addition to the online engagement community, we will set up kiosks at community events for one-on-one discussions; host a public forum at City Hall; and we are setting up a design studio at 348 Water Street where project consultants and City staff will be available to meet with those interested in discussing the project in more detail, at scheduled times.”
 
Following consultations with the public and stakeholder groups the City will release a ‘What We Heard’ document to outline key principles of the refreshed street and themes heard throughout the engagement process. An open house will be announced later this fall to share the final concept plan with the community.  Please see backgrounder below for detailed schedule of engagement opportunities.
 
During July and August, the City, working through local firm CBCL, undertook several weeks of underground exploratory work on Water Street to prepare for the larger project.
 
Media Contact:
Kelly Maguire
Media Relations
City of St. John's
709-576-8491
kmaguire@stjohns.ca