City and Lafarge Canada Inc. build excitement for new park and arboretum in Greensville

HAMILTON, ON, Sept. 24, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - At a special event this morning, City Councillor Robert Pasuta and City staff were joined by Bob Cartmel, President and Chief Executive Office of Lafarge Canada Inc. (Eastern Canada), who announced that the company will be donating $50,000 in-kind materials towards the development of Johnson Tew Park and Arboretum in Greensville.  The 37-acre park land is adjacent to the Lafarge Dundas Quarry.

The park will feature a playground nestled in an Arboretum environment. The children's playground comprises an accessible junior/senior play structure and swing set, a sun shelter and an embankment slide. Approach ramps into the playground will be added for inclusive play. The trail along the Lafarge Dundas Quarry will also be named "the Lafarge trail" to recognize the company's involvement in the development of the park.

Lafarge is donating more than 150 truckloads of granular stone to be used as sub-base materials for the construction of the 1.8 km trail system and the playground.

"Lafarge is committed to building better cities and communities. Being an active partner where we live, work and raise our families is an important part of our values," said Bob Cartmel, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lafarge Canada Inc. (Eastern Canada). "The Lafarge Dundas Quarry has been part of this community for over a hundred years and our participation in the development of this beautiful park is our way to thank everybody for their support."

A three-metre-wide accessible asphalt trail system will also be installed throughout the park and arboretum to encourage walking for health and to accommodate seniors, wheelchairs and cycling. The northern trail system will lead to two lookouts; one with a view of the Lafarge Quarry north of the park, accessible via the Lafarge trail, and the other facing west with a view of the exposed quarry walls with Earth Science ANSI (Area of Natural & Scientific Interest) significance. The southern trail system provides leisure walks in the arboretum with rest areas supplied with park benches every 120 metres.

Youth education will be an important focus of the arboretum.  A redeveloped parking lot will now accommodate school buses and an amphitheatre will be built for educational purposes.  Interpretive panels will be installed to share information with park users and school children about the history of Lafarge and the Earth Science ANSI significance of its quarry wall, the history of Johnson Tew, and migratory/ground nesting birds/meadow planting in the park.

The park will also feature rain gardens and bioswales to effectively manage storm water. The original topography and land form character in the park will be preserved.

Another exciting part of today's event is the planting of a native deciduous tree in Hamilton's first arboretum. A tree planting ceremony took place this morning to mark the planting of the first tree (a Bur Oak) in the arboretum. The arboretum will feature over 400 native and ornamental trees planted over a four-year period.

An archaeological assessment is currently underway at the site.  Construction is expected to begin sometime next year once this assessment has been completed.

About Lafarge Canada Inc.

Lafarge Canada Inc. is Canada's largest provider of solutions to the construction and development industry. With more than 6000 employees across Canada, our mission is to provide construction solutions that build better cities and communities. The cities where Canadians live, work, and raise their families along with the infrastructure that supports their communities such as roads, bridges, transportation links, water, and waste management benefit from the solutions provided by Lafarge.

Through our Sustainability Ambitions for 2020, Lafarge is committed to providing solutions using sustainable manufacturing practices and improving the environment in and around its operations. At locations across Canada, we have worked to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, restore wetlands for native plants and animals, and identify waste materials that can be recycled and used in our operations. More information is available on Lafarge Canada's website: www.lafarge-na.com

SOURCE: Lafarge Canada Inc.

Media Contacts:

Hamilton City Councillor Robert Pasuta
905 546-2705

Steve Barnhart
Manager, Landscape Architectural Services
City of Hamilton
905-546-2424, ext. 2347

Anne-Julie Gratton 
Manager, Communications & Public Affairs
Lafarge Canada Inc. 
514-428-7290