Project Overview
The proposed park will encompass a beautiful and publicly owned 120 acre area consisting of the Chapel Point Battery, Edwards Pond, and Lockman’s Beach areas in Sydney Mines. This location was chosen due to the areas rich military history dating back to the 18th century.
A multi-faceted strategy is being employed to raise funds for the project. The overall development of Atlantic Memorial Park will be carried out in phases and each phase will have its own funding strategy. The funding will be generated by way of private donations, corporate donations, community contributions, media outlets, special events, and government funding. An ambitious communications strategy is being implemented in order to raise awareness for the proposed Atlantic Memorial Park.
The following sections detail the construction efforts involved with each phase, and estimated costs for each project.
Initial Phase – Restoration of Chapel Point Battery
The first phase to be completed is the restoration of the Chapel Point Battery. The cost estimate for the Chapel Point Battery restoration is $3.7 million. Chapel Point includes an observation post, gun batteries, searchlights, a powerhouse, and several below ground fortifications. This phase is expected to take 2 years to complete.
Intermediate Phases – Recreational Areas
The second phase of the project is expected to take over 3 years to complete and this phase will consist of the development of recreational areas. A family park area with benches and walkways are to be place around the recently remediated Edwards Pond area; A playground for children will also be placed in this area.
Walking trails will be created along with the appropriate signage throughout the Neils Woods area. A First Nations encampment replica is also to be placed in this area.
The preliminary cost estimate for this part of the project is around $3 million.
Final Phase – Feature Monument and Historic Themes at the Princess Mine Plateau
A memorial will be constructed around the former Princess Mine area to pay tribute to the 100 lives lost during the mine’s history, including 21 in the tragic cable snapping incident in 1938. The victims of that tragedy included some World War 1 veterans.
The final phase consists of the development of the feature monument area on the 40 acre plateau on top of the former Princess Mine; At approximately 25 meters in height, the main monument will be visible from Sydney Harbour and visible to cruise ship traffic passing through the harbour. A visitor educational center, parking lot, and site access roadways will also be constructed.
The feature monument is expected to have features similar to the Vimy Ridge Memorial. There will also be historic themes constructed around the feature monument.This phase is expected to be completed by 2022. The cost of this phase is expected to fall within the $10-$15 million dollar range.