Stacey Gaiga, left, and landscaper Val Deakin of Val’s Garden Gals check out the direction of a weeping tree planted at what will be the main entrance to Central Park, on Angus Street at Third Avenue, Friday morning. Gaiga and her husband Franco are spending their own money to build the park uptown, which the public will be able to enjoy

Stacey Gaiga, left, and landscaper Val Deakin of Val’s Garden Gals check out the direction of a weeping tree planted at what will be the main entrance to Central Park, on Angus Street at Third Avenue, Friday morning. Gaiga and her husband Franco are spending their own money to build the park uptown, which the public will be able to enjoy

‘Pocket park’ progresses uptown

Central Park is starting to take shape on Third Avenue and Angus Street in Port Alberni’s uptown.

Central Park is starting to take shape on Third Avenue and Angus Street in Port Alberni’s uptown.

Stacey and Franco Gaiga, who own the property at Third Avenue and Angus Street, are transforming the space into a park for public use. The Gaigas, Val Deakin from Val’s Garden Gals and other helpers were on hand to plant trees, shrubs and flowers on Friday, generating a lot of interest from business owners and passersby.

The park will feature concrete benches, picnic tables, a fountain and an 11-foot-by-3-foot carving by First Nations artist Gordon Dick. There will be a main entrance on Angus Street, and people will also be able to access the park from all four corners of the property.

“It’s more like a town square than a pocket park because we decided to put in concrete (for accessibility,” Stacey Gaiga said.

She hopes the park will open “by the end of May, for summer.”

editor@albernivalleynews.com

facebook.com/albernivalleynews

twitter.com/alberninews

Alberni Valley News