Dinsdale Park reopening draws near

After several weeks of dealing with broken branches, loose boards and closure due to flooding, city staff are aiming to reopen Dinsdale Park by the end of this week

Bryce Wilson, manager of parks and recreation for the city, says it has been a big job cleaning up debris left from the flood.

“We’ve completed all the tree cleanup. The gazebo has been rebuilt … We’re hoping to have the park open, hopefully, by the end of this week for people to use,” Wilson said in an interview Monday morning.

Dinsdale Park — located on the north bank of the Assiniboine River — was closed this summer due to overland flooding. The park features a gazebo, play structure, washrooms, firepits and picnic tables.

“The gazebo was a big job,” Wilson said. “We had to take all the walls out because they’re just wood walls, so they took in a fair bit of water.”

As of Monday, the city had removed most tree branches and debris that had been carried into the park from the river, and other maintenance still to come includes replacement pea gravel for the play structure.

In addition to the park reopening, Dinsdale’s local locomotive attraction, that’s been in the city for more than 40 years, is also getting refreshed.

To commemorate the city’s history with railways, a Canadian National train engine and caboose act as a monument at the park.

“We were out there for about a month and a half when the Dinsdale Park was covered in water and the park was closed due to the Assiniboine River, but staff are now back in there and plugging away and getting that job completed,” Wilson said.

Prior to the flood, staff began removing wooden boards off the old caboose that had slowly deteriorated over the years, mainly because of weather, he said.

Surrounding the CN caboose is a chain-link fence, preventing the public from accessing the railroad car, but it has kept the structure in good condition.

“The bones are still good, so we’re just refurbishing the outside of the caboose right now, Wilson said.

Currently, staff are replacing the wooden boards, which Wilson anticipates will be completed in two or three weeks.

After the boards are replaced, Wilson says the final step will be repainting the old engine.

He added the refresh of the caboose won’t cost the city very much — he estimated between $1,000 and $1,500 — and acknowledged a donation from a former Canadian Pacific Railway employee has helped to fund the renovation.

Richard Barrett, a retired track maintainer from Fort Francis, Ont., says his donation is rooted in educating more people.

“I like to keep things up ’cause it’s history,” Barrett said.

He moved to Brandon in 2009, after spending 36 years building and repairing train tracks for CP Rail. Before him, his father worked on tracks, and he grew up in a railway house.

“Trains going by didn’t bother us,” he laughed. “But it’s a thing of the past, and younger generations don’t know how important they were.”

While Barrett said he doesn’t know much of the history behind the CN train monument at the park, he plans to continue donating and supporting railway history maintenance in the city.

Coun. Heather Karrouze (Ward 1) was unable to do an interview on Monday, but in an email statement she acknowledged the role Dinsdale Park plays within the city.

“(It’s) a lovely spot for many Brandon residents and visitors to enjoy a natural setting in an urban environment. I am confident that the revitalization of the green space and picnic areas will make the park better than ever,” Karrouze said.

“The city’s attention to renewing the CN caboose and engine — fitting reminders of our local railway heritage — is also an important step in Dinsdale Park’s revival,” she added.

rgerrard@brandonsun.com