One local club's efforts to restore a beloved park amenity isn't going unnoticed.

The area surrounding the Island Park duck pond in Portage la Prairie has seen a complete transformation thanks to the Rotary Club Portage la Prairie. The group - in partnership with the City and a number of stakeholders, partners, and friends of the club - embarked on the multi-year project back in 2019 to restore the neglected pond while also sprucing up the adjacent area.

Preston Meier, public relations director with the club, outlines the work complete thus far.

"We redesigned the waterfall, re-shored the banks of the duck pond, stripped the banks, put new topdressing on, and installed some outdoor lights and some low-level lighting," he explains. "The goal was just to revitalize that area of Island Park for citizens, tourists and people of Portage la Prairie."

An 800 square foot deck and pergola is also in the works - thanks in large part to a $25,000 donation from RONA earlier this year.

"It's going to be like a seating area," he explains. "You can use it as a stage, people can maybe use it for a wedding. You can use it just to sit and read."

The final phase of the project - which calls for the addition of bump-outs, fencing, and even a games area where people can play chess or checkers - is expected to be completed next year.

"Once that's done, that's pretty much the end of the project," says Meier. "Obviously, we'll be maintaining it for the next number of years (along with the) Garden Club of Portage as well... we'll turn it back over to the city and then just kind of maintain it from there."