A new 20- x 13-metre outdoor pavilion is currently under construction in Trend Arlington Park in the west-end Knox-Merivale ward.
The pavilion project began in 2018, after the Nepean-area neighbourhood was hit by a tornado. In an effort to rebuild community infrastructure, the Trend Arlington Community Association proposed erecting a pavilion for residents to “memorialize” the tornado and “build community spirit.”
The pavilion itself is being built using lumber from trees which fell during the tornado.
The project has received about $187,000 in federal and provincial funding, along with $68,000 from the community association. Construction is expected to be finished this winter, with electrical work to be done later in the spring.
Once completed, the pavilion will host community barbecues, outdoor yoga classes, movie nights, public meetings, art workshops, an annual winter carnival and provide shelter for skaters using the existing outdoor rink.
The skating rink remains open this winter while the pavilion is under construction. The adjacent parking lot is often full of parents and children unloading skating equipment. On their way to the rink, they walk past the fenced area where the pavilion will soon stand.
“Our community showed tremendous resilience and spirit after the tornado that struck Trend Arlington. Since that day, our association has worked to build upon that sense of community, and to create new infrastructure to gather and grow together as a community,” Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine stated in a 2021 press release in which the federal government announced more than $100,000 in funding for the project.
