Residents near the Broadview subway station are used to inconvenience in the name of progress. The station reconstruction project that added elevators, a second streetcar platform, more room for buses, and extra subway exits dragged on for five long years before finally wrapping up in the closing weeks of 2007. For most of that time, the parkette on the north side of the station had been surrounded by construction hoarding and used by crews as a staging and equipment storage area. Residents were promised a rejuvenated and completely restored parkette in exchange for their patience and understanding.

Sure enough, as construction wound down in November last year, the parkette was cleared of equipment, a new path laid, sod put down, and the hoarding dismantled. East enders finally got their parkette back, just in time for the first of many snowfalls.

Just as locals were once again getting used to sitting on the grass and walking the path this spring, blue construction fences went up around the park two weeks ago. Late last week, a trio of excavators and front-end loaders moved into the pen, and yesterday, crews started digging up patches of last autumn's fresh sod and planting hundreds of small trees, bushes, and flowers. Other improvements now being added that weren't finished last fall include a trellis, benches, irrigation system, and lighting. The project is expected to take up to four more weeks, running through mid-July.

Many residents were taken by surprise at losing their patch of green space again and expressed concern over the lack of notice or information. Although the TTC published a notice (PDF) about the work on its web site, there were no obvious signs at or around the site to explain the goings-on or how long the park will be out of commission this time. Until site work actually began yesterday, there weren't even any hints about why the park had been closed off for two weeks. One disgruntled passerby wondered why they had to barricade the entire park to install benches and plant bushes. But locals can take heart that the end of this seemingly-interminable project is finally in sight, even if they thought that they'd seen the end of it last year.

Photo by Val Dodge.