Improvements will raise profile of popular Dartmouth lake

By Lindsay Jones - The Weekly News
Upgrades worth $3.25-million are underway now to get Lake Banook ready to be on the world stage this summer.
The 2009 ICF Sprint Canoe World Championships, set to take place August 12 to 16, is the largest ever international sporting event held in Atlantic Canada.
Peter Bigelow, general manager of HRM parks and recreation, said the work will raise the profile of Lake Banook, considered to be one of the best natural race courses in the world.
"You're going to see it become more of a centre for canoe and kayaking than it already is," Bigelow said. "Our facilities were a bit old. Upgrading them is going to go a long way to make sure those athletes are well-cared for, and that we continue to be seen as a success on the international stage."
Seventy-five countries are participating in the event which will be televised on every continent and is expected to be watched by millions.
Improvements to the one-kilometre race course include installing 10 kilometres of new wire underwater to hold the lanes in place, and an elaborate, new $300,000 hydraulic starting system.
Notices recently went out to residents around the lake to advise them of the work to Birch Grove Park and Lions Beach Parks and beaches, and Graham's Grove Park which will be closed until July 24.
Birch Grove Park Beach, where athletes will congregate on race day, is getting new retaining walls and public docks.
Lions Beach is also getting a new public dock and a new structure to retain sand.
The improvements also include connecting pathways around the lake, except in places where there is private property.
"There will be some inconvenience," Bigelow said. "We've got a deadline and a timeline. A lot of people walk around there so we'll try to make sure people can continue to walk."
At Turtle Grove, the site of the finish line, a new elite training centre is under construction. A new public announcement system will be installed and the grounds and pathways re-landscaped.
The parking lot off Prince Albert Road will be repaved and the area developed for spectators.
Access to construction sites will be prohibited. The city is advising the public that construction crews and heavy equipment will be in the area Mondays to Fridays during working hours.
Bigelow said the city contributed $2.6 million for the improvements and the province chipped in $650,000.
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