Gateway beautification project finally underway

The spring tulips are gone at the end of Mississagua Street, and the fencing for the gateway beautification project has arrived.

For the first time in decades there will be no plantings to greet residents or visitors as they arrive at the end of Mississagua and head to Queen Street, or toward the neighbourhood of Chautauqua. Instead, there will be construction.

The contractor mobilized Monday morning, securing the site with construction fencing and preparing for the base of the drystone wall that was chosen as part of the design.

Once that is done, the dry stone wall, along with the Niagara-on-the-Lake lettering and town crest, will be installed, says communications manager Lauren Kruitbosch.

Additional steps will include irrigation and electrical installations, followed by planting as the last step, she says.

“The stones that have been removed are being reused onsite or at another location in town,” says Kruitbosch, “and the previous trees have been spaded out and planted at the Niagara Lakeshore Cemetery.”

The project is anticipated to be completed by the end of this summer, she says.

For those wondering about the stop sign in the middle of the road, it is part of a separate project that will be addressed later this year, says Kruitbosch.

The makeover plans for the gateway to the main street, agreed to by council in January 2022 after much discussion, public input and revised designs, include a 22-metre long, 2.7 metre tall drystone wall and entrance sign.

The project is being funded by through a donation from resident Gerald Kowalchuk’s Family Foundation. He first presented his idea of a revamp of the entrance to town in 2019, and said he would like to be involved in the process.

The work is now in the hands of contractor Three Seasons Landscape Group, after issues arose last year with another company initially slated to handle the project. Construction was intended to start last September and be completed by this spring, but was delayed while the town put out new tenders requests.

The project is budgeted at about $265,000.