SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
As the cold weather sets in, people may not be thinking about their plans for next summer at Prelude Lake Territorial Park about 30 kilometres from Yellowknife on the Ingraham Trail.

The public has two days left to weigh in on the latest proposed upgrades at Prelude Lake Territorial Park. New concept plans call for more boat slips to alleviate lineups at the boat launch. Public comments will be accepted until Nov. 14. - photo courtesy of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment

However, that has not stopped the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) from looking for public input on the latest stage of its ambitious plans for the park. About 50 people attended two open houses at Northern United Place last week to look at several new proposals for the park and give their feedback, according to Kris Johnson, ITI's regional superintendent for the North Slave Region.

"We are encouraged by the public feedback so far. It shows that people are interested in what we plan to do at the park," she said.

"These improvements and upgrades have been discussed in the past. Some of them were addressed in a management plan released in May of 2013. But now we are into the concept stage with drawings for how the park would look when these projects are completed."

The new plans were pout together by Yellowknife-based Avens Associates Landscape Architects. The options were given to the department about two weeks ago, Johnson said.

The proposals deal with three areas: campsites, waterfront and the marina.

"They are considered concept plans," Johnson said. "None of them are etched in stone. We want see what the public has to say before we make any final decisions."

There are two options dealing with camping involving a new camping area. There are two options on the table. One of them would allow for 15 new campsites, the other would provide 16 new sites.

"They are essentially similar in scope, just different in design," Johnson said.

The lay of the land and the number of trees that would provide shade and privacy were the main considerations in their design. The new loop would be in addition to the existing three campsite loops which currently provide 52 trailer sites and 11 tent sites. The new loop would also mean a slight rerouting of the main hiking trail, Johnson said.

There are three options for improving the waterfront and they essentially deal with the density of the area along the waterfront including the number of picnic tables, benches and communal fireplaces. The main difference between the three proposals is how the area would be landscaped. The third area earmarked for improvement is the marina.

"It's in bad shape. Some of the slips are currently not useable due to low water levels," Johnson said. "The docks are patched together in spots so that needs improvement."

The proposal would call for docks to be replaced and the number of boat slips increased from about 50 to 62 in the first phase.

"The idea here would be to allow us to add more boat slips in the future if we identified the need for them," she said.

It would also help to alleviate lineups at the boat launch, which has been a problem in the past, by allowing more boats to be moored at the marina. Part of the idea is to more clearly define the beach area, the waterfront area and the marina itself.

Johnson said there is no price tag for the improvements as yet.

"We have to wait and see exactly how much is budgeted for the project in the new year. The park has been at full capacity and it is strongly felt that these improvements are needed, she said. "We want to have these plans finalized as early in the new year as possible so that construction could begin by April 1."

The park officially opens to campers May 15.

"We want to hear from all the park users on this," she said. "We have a very diverse groups that use the park. That includes people with year-round homes in or near the park, cabin owners, tourists, campers, tourism operators and day-users."

The plans can be viewed at nwtparks.ca.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.