St. Lawrence Parks Commission (SLPC) is excited to be able to introduce the newly revitalized Brown’s Bay Beach and Picnic Area to guests and to the local community this summer.
The site has undergone extensive renovations, including a new completed limestone seawall with accessible water entry points, new perched beach area, new and more environmentally friendly septic system and will soon have a completed new bayfront building which will house gender-neutral and accessible change rooms and washrooms and window-service food operations with an outdoor patio for dining.
While the project is yet to be fully completed, we know it is important to make this community gem open to the public again after a long closure. For this reason, we will be opening the park as usual for weekends beginning May 20.
We invite guests to get a sneak peek of the improved park early in the season, with the best yet to come.
The impact of ongoing construction on the guest experience will be minimal. Guests will be able to enjoy swimming, picnicking and boating as usual, as well as access to the playground and new perched beach area.
A perched beach is a beach that is raised higher than the water level, in this case, with the aid of a (newly completed) seawall. The elevated perched beach is an investment in more sustainable operations and the design will prevent shoreline erosion. Two new barrier-free ramp entrances to the water have been added.
Because the bayfront building is not yet complete, when the park re-opens in May, it will be in a slightly modified capacity. The park will be equipped with temporary washroom facilities, and some areas will still be fenced off for construction. Guests visiting Brown’s Bay should bring enough drinking water with them for the duration of their stay, and food if desired. There will be no running water or food services on-site until later in the summer.
For now, the Park will be open on weekends, while construction will continue to advance. From a distance, guests will see what looks like a nearly completed bayfront building, thanks to work which continued through the winter. The exterior structure is complete, and the glass windows were recently installed. Work is underway on the metal roof, as the interior masonry continues. The plumbing, electrical and mechanical trades will soon be back to continue work on the roughed-in systems inside the building. Offsite, the design of the water treatment system is advancing.
Regular updates will continue to be provided on the revitalization project. We look forward to resuming full operations and to celebrating Brown’s Bay’s transformation with the community in August.