Waterloo Park improvements (Silver Lake)

I was dismayed to see the clearcutting of the woods just off Father David Bauer Drive!

I am curious about the work being done on Laurel creek between downtown Waterloo and Weber Street. It is actively being constructed behind the Walmart plaza - installing blocks. The stretch between Peppler St and Bridgeport looks to be complete. I cannot find a project on this site that speaks to it.

I live in the Black Willow condo building which is between these 2 segments of Laurel Creek. The property management company has not had official notice of work being done on our section. And aside from the unworldly noises the cranes make and the constant backup noises that seem to come from behind Bridgeport Plaza that has reduced my sleep from 8 to 6 hours nightly, I have another concern.
If you replace our stretch, that will destroy some mature trees that make my residence a lovely place but I guess PROGRESS, what?
BUT what will the geese do to enter the creek with their goslings in the springtime when there is a block wall 3 or 4 high? There are at least 3 places they pass between the bushes down a slope to the creek? The geese feed on our back and side lawns for several weeks. It is a lovely site - I had counted a total of 40 grazers at some points - although maybe in 3 different family groups. If this is not the correct project please advise which one is.

Curious why the lake filled up this weekend? Was that intentional

Every couple of weeks that I walk by or through Waterloo park on the Westmount Road side, I see more trees removed and more natural bush and plans razed to the ground. Just a couple of days ago I was stunned to see the area from the skateboard park to the parking lot at the old train station completely denuded. This was a lovely area - and now it looks like it will be completely urbanized. You might as well pave the whole thing for all the difference it would make. We have enough flattened grassy areas in Waterloo Park already. Please stop destroying the natural beauty of this gem in the middle of our City.

Please don't take away the cedars between the playground and the labyrinth. They're so good and make it quiet and contemplative
Otherwise yay lake

So disappointed in the park's new "face lift"-- so many trees gone. The park feels more industrial now, like something you would find in Toronto. I agree that silver lake needed help, there was alot of sedement piling up and making it appear dirty, but why remove all the trees facing the river??? So much habitat for birds gone and the park was so much more beautiful with those mature trees.

My mother took us here when we were young, and we came here weekly while my kids were growing up. So many beautiful memories of this place. Now I visit almost daily for coffee while bird watching with my 90 year old friend Jack. We put up the bird feeders together and I see countless people admiring the birds while out walking. I’m all for improving Silver Lake, as long as it truly is for the wildlife and not for cosmetic Waterloo wanna be Toronto reasons. I was honestly devastated to see all of the beautiful mature, colourful trees and bushes killed and thrown away, especially with our planet in such need of more mature greenery, not to mention the wildlife that needs it, even more so during the fall and winter season. I hope and pray that our city will be planting LOTS of trees and bushes, and please bring back our beloved wooden gazebos. Think natural, not cold, hard, useless concrete! Lord knows we have enough of that. Please think of the families and seniors who come to this park often. I know my children will bring their little ones here in the years to come.

I took a look at the plans, and while I like the rehabilitation of the river and the lake and agree it all needs a face lift, I am not the biggest fan of the sunbathing/beach area and the grass terraces. It looks and feels very bland (the water feature at the end is cool, and the new sign, I like those). Is there anyway to make it feel more rustic/natural looking? Also, I am not sure how many people are going to want to hang out on the beach when it is covered in goose poop, I don't think having a beach is a good idea, you can't swim in the water. Is it possible to have more shade and sitting areas instead on the terrace, leading down to a nice sitting area (benches, wheel chair accessible tables?) along the water's edge?. Those thoughts aside, I really do like the change that is coming to Silver lake, and I like the idea of having different zones, that will have different uses around the lake.

Where will the Sept. 26th presentation take place?
John Lochead

I like the idea of fixing the river and the lake, but there was a sweet intimacy about the boardwalk and the wood structures around the lake! It was perfect, especially in the fall. Please don't take away all the natural rustic aspects of this area during renovation and improvement. That was a lot of grass and fancy cement work, transforming the lake area into something completely different. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for improvements and making sure the wildlife are taken care of- they deserve better than the state the lake has been in the past couple of years. That being said, please don't make it too manicured or too perfect, as the rustic look is what made this area of the lake so cozy, approachable and perfect for families. Waterloo is an up-and-coming city but we aren't Toronto. There is a special appealing quality to the way the park was before that would be nice to see trailed through the more modern designs. Take what we had before and improve upon it, but don't destroy it. Also, we like the gazebos, so integrating those back in would be lovely!

On viewing the plans for the walking path around silver lake I see little chance for the handicap capped to stop and rest.
Will there be benches or chairs?
The design shows umbrellas on the sand but no seats.
It shows people sitting on grass slopes but no benches.
I did attend the public viewings and asked this question at that time .
We and many like us live across the street and uses the park for exercise most days.

Thank you for your consideration.

Love the look of the plans! Change is good! I am excited to see it all come together.

I don't see any mention of the beach plans on this site, but I sincerely hope that they got thrown out! This park is not meant for a beach, at all. The lake is home to an abundance of wild birds, turtles, muskrats and fish, and to scare them all away with loud jock parties at the "beach" (with inevitable littering, fighting and music blasting) would be so awful. We've been lucky to have a peaceful park with paths that are good for nature-watching. Please keep it that way! Thanks.

PLEASE CLOSE THE ZOO FOREVER!

Please do not remove the boardwalk. Its a lovely part of the park. The boardwalk should be repaired and maintained instead of removed.

The overview for the west splash pad is useful, but there should be a similar overview for the boardwalk area and other parts of the park. If there are, please put them all in one place (On this page would be a good idea).

My wife and I had lunch in the park 4 x this past month.

The shade and peaceful setting was very enjoyable.

The garbage was not;more pails are needed. I'm 80 years old. Love Waterloo. Thanks!

To whom it may concern:

More information about the so-called improvements to Waterloo Park would have been appreciated.
I walk in this park almost daily and have been very distressed by the destruction underway.
There has been a large amount of clear-cutting of trees and shrubs.
A quiet, beautiful canopy of trees over the pathway along the creek has been completely demolished. The pleasant, peaceful nature of the park has been lost.
First, we coped with the severing of the east park from the west park with the construction of the LRT, and now this further destruction of our beloved park continues unabated.
Noticeably there is no place to register my complaint about the ridiculous erection of pylons on three main streets of Waterloo to prepare for possible bike lanes.
Erb St , Bridgeport and Westmount lanes have witnessed the contraction of 4 lane traffic in many instances to 2 lanes. What were the city planners thinking?
At Erb & Westmount & bounded to the north by University Ave. we have
a mosque,
Equitable Life Insurance
6 condo buildings,
a shopping plaza with an extremely busy T&T grocery store,
an essential drop-in medical clinic
a pharmacy,
SunLife Insurance
and also
an entrance to Father David Bauer Drive with a number of high rise apartment buildings, Luther Village complex & the Waterloo Sports centre & skatepark
an entrance to the Waterloo Park currently under destruction

Have you counted how many entrances and exits to Westmount & Erb exist in this small community space? Before the pylons, it was very difficult to gain entrances and exits along these roads
And then Killam is set to build highrises on the corner!

My cyclist friends do not use & do not plan to use these kinds of bike lanes on busy roads. How many senior citizens who live in the condos in this densely populated area do you think will be cycling on these bike lanes?
I have seen very few cyclists on these temporary bike lanes.
Some cyclists use the sidewalks.
I find it difficult to make a right-hand turn from Westmount to Erb without hitting the curb.
Great for car maintenance.
The pylons are unsafe, ugly, poorly planned and short-sighted intervention in the city.
Bragging that COVID-19 gave you the opportunity to disrupt our community in this way demonstrates your lack of ability to connect with citizens.

This does not communicate "improvement".
It communicates that city hall does not care about what its citizens need or want.

Hello,
We were so happy to see this morning that Waterloo Park has been closed off to cars. We hope this will a permanent thing. Waterloo Park is such a gem.
Patricia Renaud

Leave Waterloo Park alone - a great park to visit.

I am very much in favour of the improvements being proposed for Silver Lake, Laurel Creek and the adjacent Waterloo Park. However, all this money and effort will be largely wasted if there is not a MUCH more concerted effort to control the goose population in Waterloo Park. It will not be possible to eliminate the goose population but it can be reduced. Oiling the eggs in the Spring is an effective means of population control. Pathways, grassy park areas and waterways saturated in goose poop will not make an attractive and sustainable focal point for our city. Please please please give this aspect a lot more attention!