Cooling stations coming to the Halifax waterfront
Posted Aug 1, 2018 03:19:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Between the orange hammocks, the floating sea bridge, ships, shops and restaurants, the Halifax waterfront is already a cool place, but it's about to get even cooler.
Develop Nova Scotia — formerly called Waterfront Development Corporation — will be testing out two new cooling stations along the waterfront throughout the Natal Day weekend.
If that goes well, they could become regular fixtures and with Halifax under a heat warning, they'll likely be in high demand.
Develop Nova Scotia's senior marketing manager Deborah Page said they conducted the first test run throughout the Canada Day weekend.
“We were testing it out to see how people would interact with it, whether it would be popular, and it turned out it was very popular,” she explained.
The Halifax waterfront is Blue Flag certified. The eco-certification means it has been recognized for its water quality, environmental education, environmental management, and safety and services.
With that in mind, Page said they approached local company Focal Point Displays to see if they could make the cooling stations more environmentally-friendly.
“Because that was a constant use of power and water, we wanted to take a look at whether or not there might be a different kind of station we could use … they actually built us a new one and we're going to test it now throughout Natal Day.”
The new cooling stations are on a timer so they don't waste water and electricity.
Page said they still haven't decided where they'll be located, and they'll have to work around the setup for the annual Halifax Busker Festival.
She thinks this will just be one more way for people to stay comfortable and safe while enjoying the Halifax waterfront.
