'Grand re-opening' of Officers' Square in Fredericton this long weekend

The ‘grand re-opening’ of Officers’ Square in Fredericton will occur this long weekend, as site renovations near completion for a project that is over time and over budget.

“It’s done to the point we can deliver programming,” says Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers, in an interview Friday.

Garrison Fest will include four days of entertainment beginning Friday, with a return of on-site Canada Day events.

The festival will usher in a permanent performance stage and introduce new landscaping and seating locations within Officers’ Square. There is also improved accessibility in and around the historic grounds.

“It’s easy to get into,” says Gerald Mattix, who uses a mobility scooter. “Before it used to be like gravel. It was a little harder to run one of these over it.”

A mechanically chilled ice skating track inside Officers’ Square opened in December 2023, which doubles as a walking track during warmer months.

An enhanced electrical system is also part of site renovations, with additional lighting still to be added.

The project was initially projected to cost $9 million, with a timeline to be finished by 2022.

The project’s latest budget is now more than $14 million.

The renovation became a touchy subject in 2018 when plans to remove trees inside the square first became public.

There were additional delays after the discovery of an ancient paleo shoreline on the square’s southwest corner, as well as design changes prompted by feedback about a lack of green space.

Mayor Rogers says the contentious process “has been worth it.”

“It’s a wonderful community space,” she says. “We’re delivering programming, for free, to residents at a time when affordability is a real issue (and) at a time when people really need to gather and come together. That’s really what this space is all about.”

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