Andrew's Pond donated to City of Charlottetown

The City of Charlottetown now owns more than six acres of natural land, thanks to a donation from a resident.

At the monthly meeting Monday night, council voted to accept the donation of Andrew's Pond in East Royaltyfrom John and Christine Andrew.

The pond has been undergoing rehabilitation for the last eight years in order to restore it to its natural state.

With work from the Wright's Creek Watershed Environmental Committee and help from the city alarge amount of silt was removed, and at one point the pond was completely dredged. Abarrier was also installed to prevent more silt runoff from enteringthe water. The city invested about $200,000 in the area.

After all that work, John Andrew felt it was time to pass the land on.

"We've gotten to the point where we think that as a watershed group we've really taken it as far as we would like, and from this point on it would be more useful if the city owned the pond. So my wife and I decided to transfer the ownership over to the city." he said

"It's really central to the area and there's a real potential there ofhaving a place where people can go in and see nature and wildlife, and fishand boat."

Pond now healthy

For Coun.Terry Bernard, chair of the finance committee, the donation means the city has a new asset. He saidrestorative work has helpedand now residents enjoy a walking track through the area, which is home to a variety of birds and wild animals.

"We have a nest of bald eagles that are nesting in the area, muskrats in the water...there's beavers there, there's a beaver dam, many ducks this time of year,it'shundreds of geese," he said.

"It's quite an asset for the city, not just an asset for the nature part of it but it's also part of our storm water management plan."

City pays costs

For the donation, the Andrews will receive a tax receipt for the appraised value of $416,000. The city agreed to cover the associated expenses of $15,000 for the appraisal, legal costs, survey work and the transfer of the deed. That money will be expensed from the 2019 operational budget.

The city plans to continue improvements at the site, finishing off the walking trail loop around the pond and adding lookouts and information boards on the east side, similar to those on the west side.

Bernard also said the city will work on preventing runoff from nearby construction zones entering the water.

"It's one of those things where we're really lucky to have it and we plan on taking care of it," he said.

"If we can add to it we will, but we still want to keep it as natural as possible."

That makes Andrew proud that his family will be remembered through the donation.

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