Leaks in a number of planters are causing damage to the building, so Devonian Gardens inside The Core shopping centre will have to be shut down while repairs are made.
The facility first opened in 1977 and was state-of-the-art with over 500 trees and 50 varieties of plants. It was refurbished in 2012, but now it needs more work.
“We have had an ongoing issue with some warranty work and some leaks that were occurring and we are still in the process of trying to resolve that,” said Doug Marter, Capitol Planning and Infrastructure, Calgary Parks. “It was a very complicated problem to fix because the way the leaks go, they go into a subfloor, so it’s not like we can stand underneath and say, that’s where the leak is.”
It’s a big job, with many of the structures needing to be emptied to find the leaks.
“We’ve got to remove existing plants from planters, we’ve got to store those, we’ve got to remove the soil, clean the surface again and apply the product, the coating that’s going in and then put everything back,” he said.
The space will close to the public on July 18 and will reopen around the end of the year. While the public won’t be able to enjoy the park, any previously made bookings like weddings will still go ahead in a small portion of the gardens.
