New Beavermead gatehouse ‘looks great,’ official says

Quaker Foods Urban Park to be completed next month

Construction has been completed on the new gatehouse at Beavermead Campground on Little Lake in Peterborough.

The gatehouse building is where people check in to camp. Last year, city council voted to tear down the older gatehouse and replace it at a cost of $709,400.

Construction started in March after council hired Mortlock Construction of Peterborough.

Lett Architects of Peterborough designed the gatehouse, as well as the washroom building in the lakeside park (built in 2020 — the two buildings are designed to look similar to one another).

The new gatehouse is part of the third phase of upgrades of the city-owned park that have been ongoing for a decade.

The campground is located adjacent to Beavermead’s lakeside park, off Ashburnham Drive in the city’s east end.

It is owned by the city and managed by Otonabee Conservation.

City project manager Gillian Barnes mentioned the completion of the gatehouse at a virtual meeting on Tuesday night of the city’s arenas, parks and recreation advisory committee. Barnes said the asphalt around the building still needs to be added and that’s scheduled for next week (she said the city planned that to follow the camping season).

“I have to say the facility looks great, and I really would encourage you to try to pop by and take a look at it,” Barnes told parks board members.

She also mentioned the gatehouse — though a small-scale building — is Peterborough’s first city facility built of mass timber.

“I think we should give a shoutout to that, since the construction method is a natural, renewable and sustainable building material,” Barnes told the committee.

“It provides a low-carbon footprint — and so it aligns perfectly with the city’s climate action plan. All in all the project went really well this construction season, and (the building) will be in full use next year,” Barnes said.

Also at the arenas, parks and recreation advisory committee meeting:

Quaker Foods Urban Park

Construction ought to be complete by mid-to-late October on the new Quaker Foods Urban Park on Charlotte Street downtown, the committee heard.

Nicole Huculiak, urban design planner for the city, said the construction should be done by next month but that the official opening will be scheduled to take place sometime following the municipal election on Oct. 24.

Earlier this month city council voted to allow PepsiCo Canada, which operates the Quaker Oats plant on Hunter Street, to buy the naming rights for the park for at least the next 15 years.

The company plans to pay the city $240,000 in fees for the 15year arrangement.