The Best Seats
In The House

Known as the shire town of Kings County,the beautiful town of Kentville, Nova Scotia was the welcoming setting of one of our most recent projects. As with all of our jobs in the Canadian Maritimes, it’s always a pleasure to work within the beautiful settings it offers alongside the wonderful residents who call the region home.

Earlier in the year, we were contacted by some key stakeholders from the town who were in the process of planning some upgrades to the largest park in Kentville. Established in the 1920s, what is now known as Memorial Park has been growing ever since. What started as a simple athletic field to serve young residents, it has now blossomed to include three tennis courts, two basketball courts, five ball fields, four soccer fields, an outdoor pool, splash pad, skating pond, running track, skatepark, playbox, and the Walter Wood Playground.

The site featured a grandstand that was originally constructed back in 1953. As with many of these older structures, many improvements had been made over the years to ensure safety for spectators. Despite the upgrades, the bleachers eventually were deemed unsafe and became unable to meet current safety standards.

Given the age of the grounds and of the grandstand, our team was faced with a number of challenges surrounding the project. Originally cut into an existing and natural berm, we had to really sharpen our engineering skills to get this project to fit perfectly. The town was looking for a new solution that not only would fit the space, but would allow for better sightlines and contain barrier-free seating options for those requiring them.

Our elevated bleachers were the perfect solution for the site and met or exceeded the NBC 2015, ICC 300 and the IBC codes for outdoor aluminum bleachers. Our engineering team got to work on the design and drawings for the park and working alongside key stakeholders, drafted the perfect solution for the historic park. 

In the end, the new grandstand bleacher offers seating for 510 spectators and allows for six barrier-free seating areas for those in wheelchairs. The entire park has undergone an incredible transformation this year and we look forward to the spring season when we can see the grandstands and all of the surrounding improvements in full bloom.