Boulevard Lake master plan needs 'people's visions'

The City of Thunder Bay is working on a new plan to guide the development of the Boulevard Lake recreation area.

The master plan will set priorities, such as where to construct trails or buildings, and make improvements to existing facilities.

Improving water quality at Boulevard is a priority, said Werner Schwar, who co-ordinates park planning for the city.

"One thing we're looking at in the future is possibly dredging a section of the lake to increase the water depth, which gives us cooler water and things like fish habitat," he said.

"Dredging will also increase the recreation potential for things like water sports … [and] paddle sports."

Schwar says there are also plans to reduce the habitat for geese that pollute the water, to refurbish the dam and to improve the parking lot.

"We also know that improving parking and water runoff and reducing the geese habitat will help with potential water quality issues for swimming," he added.

The public will get a chance for input as "Boulevard Lake is arguably one of our most-used recreational parks," Schwar said. "We want to hear what people's visions are for the park in the future."

The city is in the process of developing a request for proposals to hire a consultant to help with developing the master plan.