Mill Lake boardwalk fate put to public—again

Nearly four years into a planning process that was originally expected to take less than 12 months, the future of the Mill Lake Park boardwalk remains as uncertain as ever.

Sitting at the centre of Abbotsford, just blocks from its downtown and shopping centre, Mill Lake Park is probably the busiest park in the entire Fraser Valley and is frequently called the city’s “jewel” by local politicians. Every day, hundreds of people use a paved loop trail to circumnavigate the lake. The path’s most prominent—and most photographed—feature is a short 150-metre boardwalk at the lake’s eastern end that was built, in part, to complete the trail without intruding on a lakefront townhouse complex.

But the boardwalk, which includes a small bridge, poses accessibility challenges for some people and would be costly to rebuild once it reaches the end of its life.

And as the city continues work on a new long-term plan for the park, staff have suggested that it might be best to eventually replace the boardwalk with a path on the nearby shore once the development of the townhouse complex makes that possible.

The public, and increasingly some members of council, are less than enthusiastic about the prospect of a lake path with no boardwalk.

And the matter is sparking a discussion about what makes one of Abbotsford’s most beloved trails so popular—and about the park’s future itself.

More than a path

The boardwalk debate comes years into a planning process that originally was supposed to take mere months.

Work on a new “master plan” for Mill Lake Park began nearly four years ago, in March of 2021, and followed a larger citywide plan that had been completed in 2018. When work on the Mill Lake plan began in 2021, staff expected to have the project completed by the following spring.

City staff expected to gather information, consult with the public, talk to council, draft a master plan, and then finalize that plan—all within a year. But nearly four years later, the city hasn’t even completed a formal draft yet. It has, however, created several drafts of a draft concept that may eventually become that final draft plan. Each step has also involved public surveys and open houses that has prompted more revisions.

In November, council voted to tentatively endorse a “preferred concept” that will lay the groundwork for a draft plan. That plan would have seen the boardwalk eventually replaced with a wider, land-based path on the nearby shore. A pier would be built to provide views from the water.

The Current covered the various amenities suggested in that preferred concept. You can find that story here.

But two councillors balked at the idea of a lake path without a boardwalk—and suggested that replacing it with a pier would still be a loss.

“I think we really lose something if we don’t have the boardwalk, and it’s not the same as having a [pier] where you can go out on the water,” Coun. Mark Warkentin said at the November meeting. “It’s not the same.”

Warkentin said the boardwalk is a key component of the Mill Lake loop, providing variety that makes the path unique and enjoyable for walkers, runners, and cyclists,

“There’s a lot of support in the community for the boardwalk,” he said. “I would have a hard time explaining why I voted to not have the boardwalk.”

Although Warkentin voted to move the process to a draft plan stage, he warned that he wanted to see a plan that had a singular vision for the park, rather than a grab-bag of various features.

He wasn’t the only one with reservations. Coun. Patricia Driessen voted against moving the plan forward, citing both parking concerns and the absence of the boardwalk. Like Warkentin, she said the removal of the boardwalk would also impact the enjoyability of the lake’s loop trail. She added that rebuilding the boardwalk so it is more accessible might be challenging, but that it’s not necessarily impossible.

Mayor Ross Siemens noted that keeping the boardwalk long term will come at significant cost.

“I like using the boardwalk but I also know it has a life expectancy and that’s an expensive proposition,” he said. “I think there are some things we have to think about going forward. When we’re spending that money, is it the best use?”

Council voted to move the concept, with the boardwalk moved on land, to a draft process. (Driessen was the lone councillor opposed.) At the time, Siemens noted that the plan was still a work in process and that once it is complete, items can change. (In an interview with The Current last fall, Siemens noted that the land-based path was also dependent on agreements with property owners.)

“Nothing’s written in stone, but this is a discussion,” Siemens said. “This isn’t going to happen overnight.”

Park projects, in general, haven’t been happening overnight in Abbotsford and tthe Mill Lake Park Master Plan isn’t the only park project taking more time than expected. Last month, staff told council that they’re still working on park projects that had been expected to be finished last year.

By now, the city had expected to have completed at least two new parks—one on Engineer Crescent near Aldergrove, the other near the McCallum Junction shopping mall. But work continues on those parks, and they aren’t expected to be complete until later this year. Several other projects are at least a year behind schedule, including new parks near Rick Hansen Secondary School, and another in the Townhill Hill area.

In January, parks planner Danielle Pope told council the delays point to “significant staff gaps and staff transition” and that the park department is now fully staffed. Consultation work has also been shortened for future projects, Pope said.

Although consultation work has been shortened, there is still more to go for Mill Lake Park.

The yes-or-no boardwalk question

The future of the boardwalk could hinge on the city’s most recent survey on the park’s future.

Previous surveys had generated many comments from people opposed to the boardwalk’s removal, the responses suggested that at least some respondents may not have realized that the loop path could be preserved without the replacement of the boardwalk.

So as part of another 10-question survey, staff have again asked the public about whether they want the boardwalk retained, while clarifying that the loop path will stay either way.

(The survey doesn’t allow people to say they want to both retain the boardwalk and have an adjacent land-based path.)

Other questions in the survey ask residents whether Centennial Pool should be kept in the park, whether a dog park’s proposed location is appropriate, and whether light should be added along paths to increase the public’s ability to use the park. You can view and take the survey here.

The questionnaire closes Feb. 25.

The questionnaire will inform a draft master plan. If council approves that draft, staff would then complete a final master plan. But each step will require the sign-off on council, and with Driessen, Warkentin and Couns. Les Barkman and Simon Gibson all expressed some concerns about various elements of the plan, the fate of the park’s master plan is still uncertain.