The University of Winnipeg and the City of Winnipeg have joined forces to construct a new green space downtown.

The Richardson Green Corridor will be a green space connecting the university main campus to the new Richardson College for the Environment and Science Complex. The green space will lead from the Spence Street Bus Loop to the Furby-Langside campus, crossing what is now a parking lot on Young Street.

When it comes to funding, Jennifer Rattray, strategic initiatives development director at the University of Winnipeg, says this project is not cutting into University of Winnipeg budgets.

“Those are very different pots of money,” said Rattray.

Rattray says the Richardson Firm, Family and Foundation donated $3.5 million dollars to the university in 2006, with the stipulation that $500,000 be used to construct the corridor.

According to the university’s website, the corridor will be equipped with a well-lit pedestrian path that meets American Disability Association standards, as well as security cameras.

“We have security cameras throughout the campus, so it will have the same level of security as anywhere else on campus,” said Rattray.

Brittany Santucci, an environmental science student at the university, was happy to hear about the new project.

“I think it’s good. With the security cameras, I’d rather walk that way to the (science complex) than down Portage,” said Santucci.

Rattray says the city approached the university to install underground storm water retention tanks beneath the site. The tanks will store excess storm water runoff to prevent sewage backup, she said.

Cynthia Wiebe, a wastewater collections planning engineer for the City of Winnipeg, said the city is putting $1.5 million into the construction and engineering of this project. This will be the first area that these retention tanks will be installed in Winnipeg.

“This is a great opportunity to test out what the maintenance issues will be (with the retention tanks),” said Wiebe. “How much sediment will end up in it? ... Will there be odour issues that come from it?”

Wiebe said any possible problems with the retention tanks will be easily fixed through sewer maintenance, and will not affect the green space constructed above the tanks.

Wiebe said if the project is successful, the city will use retention tanks to improve the sewer system in other areas of Winnipeg.

Although the city is contributing $1.5 million to this project, three city councillors involved with downtown development had nothing to say about it.

“We did this a long time ago. I don’t recall any of the specifics,” Justin Swandel, deputy mayor and chair of the downtown development committee, wrote in an email.

Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, an active board member for the Downtown Business Improvement Zone, says she has no specific information on the project.

Coun. Harvey Smith, who also sits on the Downtown BIZ board, declined to comment.

Published in Volume 66, Number 6 of The Uniter (October 5, 2011)