People all over Toronto are looking forward to a number of new and revitalized parks on the way in the coming years, but residents of one neighbourhood are questioning some serious lack of progress they've witnessed in their local green space.

Though the city's improvements to Baycrest Park near Allen Road and Highway 401 have been in the works for years, more than 14 months after construction kicked off, the upgrades have come to a standstill.

Passersby have been wondering about the status of the amenity and why it has remained shuttered to the public for so long, with backhoes and other construction machines and material sitting unused behind fencing.

Though work started in early April of last year — with site preparation work, tree removal and other steps complete by July — it appears that the revamp has been on pause since October.

"Construction of the park improvements has been delayed. The permit approval process identified significant infrastructure changes required to address storm water management in the park. In addition, construction of the ramp continues to be delayed due to Toronto Hydro assets located near the proposed ramp site," the City wrote in an online update.

"The City is working with the contractor and Toronto Hydro to address these issues and resume construction as soon as possible."

In later updates, staff wrote that teams are "continuing to work with the contractor to determine how to effectively advance the park improvements," and that the "timeline for the park improvements has been extended, resulting in the park being closed for longer than anticipated."

The City confirmed to theGentries this week that it is in an ongoing dispute with the contractor hired for the task, which is still currently "being resolved under the terms of the contract."

"The City is exercising its rights under the contract and is taking all the necessary steps required to advance the project. The City is committed to completing the project and is working to identify the best path forward so that the community can enjoy the park improvements as soon as possible, prioritizing the access ramp to the subway station and baseball field lighting," it continued.

"More information will be shared as it becomes available."

Thus far, members of the community have taken issue with not just the frustrating lack of headway on the project now that the park has been blocked off and razed, but also the lack of communication from the City about what is going on.

"One of the largest parks in Toronto has been excavated, fenced and closed to the community for over a year with little to no meaningful updates to the community and zero signs of progress," one reader said over email to theGentries, adding that Toronto's Parks and Recreation department was fairly tight-lipped when contacted about the issue.

They also said that they moved to the area in large part because of "amenities like Baycrest Park and the planned improvements" and have been severely disappointed with this outcome.

No timeline for completion is yet available, though updates will be posted online.

When it is done, the new-and-improved Baycrest Park will boast a new floral display garden and water play area, washrooms, a playground and fitness features, new entry features and seating areas, upgraded lighting, additional flora, and more.

But, this may not make up for the fact that the nine-hectare public space and its tennis courts, ball diamond, sport field and playground were at first inaccessible, and now completely gone with no replacement amenities for so many months.