Bannerman Park preps new skating trail

A sod turning event at Bannerman Park on Thursday showed the progress of a new skating trail being built through the park.

Construction on the ice skating trail has already started and it is the biggest addition to a $3-million plan to revitalize the park.

Elinor Gill Ratcliffe — philanthropist, Order of Canada recipient, and one of the donors who helped make the addition to the park possible — says she got the idea from some other Canadian cities.

"There are ice skating trails in many cities and they are well attended, and they seem to add something to the city and I thought, 'Why not St. John's?'" she said.

Ratcliffe said she was happy to give back to the community and a park that she has so many fond memories of.

"They don't make caskets with pockets, so it's a good opportunity to be able to give back and I feel privileged to be able to give back and I couldn't be more pleased," she said.

"It's a pretty important park and now it's going to be a showpiece not only for us, but for the world."

The trail is scheduled to open in the fall of 2013.

Check out Zach Goudie's coverage of Thursday's event in the liveblog below.