Lakes District Maintenance Ltd. (LDM) has extended a helping hand to the Village of Granisle to assist with the development of a community park and band shell area.

Sharon Smith, chief administrative officer for the Village of Granisle said the project will also provide an accessible community gathering space. "It will be the welcoming centerpiece within a vibrant green space network," she said.

The partnership between LDM and the Village of Granisle was formed as part of a Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure annual initiative to help with community enhancement projects.

During 2011 the ministry launched the initiative and at that time, approached LDM and other highways maintenance contractors across the province with the idea of teaming up with local communities to help move community enhancement projects forward.

According to Steve Gailing, LDM's operations manager, during 2011 the company played a key role in the initiative by teaming up with the Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake for the remediation of the Radley Beach area.

This year, LDM decided to team up with the Village of Granisle for their project.

According to Smith, the Village of Granisle has been exploring opportunities to encourage community participation for local residents and they think the community park project will encourage locals to get out and about.

"This project will provide connectivity from the village to the waterfront through a variety of paths that will meander throughout the park, joining with trails along the waterfront and connecting to a beach area. These pathways will provide an opportunity for residents of all ages to increase their physical activity in an enjoyable outdoor setting," she said.

Once constructed, the park will have a band shell which Smith said, will be a focal point for outdoor community entertainment and events.

She said the project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2012.

The project included the decommissioning and removal of a frontage road and through the ministry's initiative, LDM offered to bring out one of their trucks to assist with  relocating the debris from the decommissioned road for recycling and reusing.

Gailing said, "Approximately 100 metres of a frontage road is being returned to grass and will become a part of the larger venue and the village requested an LDM truck and operator. With the help of LDM's Houston yard, we began the process of removing sod and organics from the project site. This involved using a village grader to dig up the road base and a village backhoe and an LDM tandem axle truck completed the loading and hauling phase of the project."

Wendy Benyk, LDM's chief executive officer said she felt the project is going to be a great benefit to local residents and tourists. "Granisle is a very small community with limited tax dollars, so we feel it is a good place to put this donation," she said.

"Lakes District Maintenance is a proud supporter of all communities it serves through its highways maintenance contract," Benyk said, adding that the company has long been a supporter of local community projects and initiatives.

"LDM is very proud and excited to be involved in this extremely beneficial, as well as worthwhile ministry driven community enhancement initiative," Gailing added.