Gone are the decaying planters, the falling-down fence and the potholes. The pavilion has a new roof and a bright new paint job. A larger Canada flag makes it more visible from afar. And there are inviting places to have a picnic or just sit and enjoy the view. Lions Lookout looks lovely.
Town staff made improvements to the attraction, beloved by visitors and locals alike for its sweeping views of Fairy Lake and Huntsville’s core, after Huntsville Council approved the spend for this year.
The project is now almost complete. Some masonry work is being done to the old stone wall in the next week to repair and strengthen it, after which the chain-link fence in front of it will be removed. Another section of fence has already been replaced with boulders for a more natural-looking barrier.
The access road and the parking areas have been patched where needed, and more garbage cans have been installed. The old, faded roof of the pavilion was replaced after structural issues were discovered.
And still to come are two story boards with historical information and photos that will be installed as soon as they arrive, likely within the next few weeks, one next to the pavilion and one overlooking Fairy Lake.
While the facelift has given Lions Lookout some of the love the more than 90-year-old attraction deserves, councillors are still discussing future plans for the Lookout and the entire Memorial Park area.
“We look forward to one day when it is a full makeover,” says Colleen MacDonald, the Town’s Manager of Parks and Cemeteries. “But in the meantime this is good.”
If you haven’t been to the lookout in a while, here’s how it compares to last year:
The old planters and some of the chain-link fence at Lions Lookout have been replaced by a barrier of boulders. The remaining fencing in front of the stone wall will be removed once masonry repairs are complete.
These aging planters were removed from Lions Lookout in 2018 (Doppler file photo)
The poor condition of the fencing at Lions Lookout led some councillors to question if it was even necessary. This section has been removed. (Doppler file photo)
The Lions Lookout pavilion received a new roof and a bright new paint job in 2018
Prior to its facelift, the Lions Lookout pavilion was looking a bit tired. (Doppler file photo)
Picnic tables have been added so people can sit and enjoy the view
And the view from the pavilion is still spectacular
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Do we need fences at every cliff? Could children not be protected by their parents? It makes me wonder whether we might have fences on all sides of the docks and along the river so no one call fall into the water.
Where are the porta- potties?
Im going to get booed for this idea but I think the town should put a wind turbine on the top of the lookout and on the high hill next to it and on top of the reservoir hill. Then give people in the Huntsville area a discount on there electric and sell the rest to the hydro. And please don’t tell me they are ugly or whatever they are all over Scotland and the Irish Sea and I think they are kinda nice to look at.
Great facelift! And nice to see picnic tables but you may need a garbage can closer to the tables, not across the road.
Beautiful, and my thanks to the Town for their forward thinking. I haven’t, however, visited lately, and the photos overlooking Huntsville don’t show the rebuilt rock wall and the boulders. Is the wall high enough to obviate safety concerns? Do the boulders, perhaps, require an additional barrier beyond their height? Children do love to climb all over large boulders.
Need a water slide into Fairy lake!