Construction crews have officially begun work on a full-scale renovation to Carl Zehr Square in downtown Kitchener.

Located immediately outside City Hall, the 30-year old square will be complete transformed over the course of the next 12 months. Construction crews led by Stoufville-based Heritage Restoration will replace the site’s surface concrete, waterproofing membrane, ice rink and fountain, all while upgrading the site from an accessibility point of view.

The construction crews have already put in place all required protocols to ensure site workers are protected from the further spread of the coronavirus.

The City of Kitchener awarded the project at a value of just over $12 million—about $3 million more than what it anticipated when it set the project budget in January 2019—in mid-February of this year.

The various events that are usually hosted at the square, including public skating, and the city’s annual Oktoberfest celebrations will be moved to a temporary location during construction.

Once work is completed at Carl Zehr Square, the city plans to upgrade the area in front of the Duke Street entrance to city hall. That work is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2021.