Playground Replacements 2024

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Help us design three playgrounds we’re replacing by summer 2025

Our first round of engagement is closed. Between February 6 and March 3, we asked the community to share their thoughts.

  • What kind of equipment you would like to see
  • What you like about the existing playground
  • If there are any specific accessible and inclusive features you would like to see included

Check out our summary report to learn more about what we heard and what we're doing.

We're using your feedback, along with best practices and experiences in other playgrounds to develop two playground designs for our three parks due for playground replacement next year:

For those interested, Drew Park has a revitalization project of its own this year (including a new playground) - the first round of engagement for Drew park is running from March 5 through 31. Check out the Drew Park project page for more details and to participate in the survey.

What's next?

Timeline for this playground project showing two phases for engagement with information being reviewed following each phase. All phases work toward a final design aimed for fall 2024 and construction the following spring. There is a pin indicated we are currently reviewing feedback from our first round of engagement and we will be back with design options to share for feedback next.

We’ve analyzed all of the information received from engagement, and we'll use the information to develop requirements for the design of new play equipment. We then send this information to specialized playground designers as part of our process for selecting new play equipment. We will review the design submissions and select the best two designs for each park to share with you for your opinions on the best design and how we can improve it even further.

Round two community engagement, with 2 designs for new play equipment for each park, will be shared in the summer of 2024.

Final designs and plans for construction will be shared in the fall of 2024, with construction starting as early in spring of 2025 pending final budget approval.

For more information or to share your thoughts with us directly, contact our Parks team:

parks@guelph.ca
519-837-5626


For more information about playground replacements or budget considerations please read the background info section below.

Help us design three playgrounds we’re replacing by summer 2025

Our first round of engagement is closed. Between February 6 and March 3, we asked the community to share their thoughts.

  • What kind of equipment you would like to see
  • What you like about the existing playground
  • If there are any specific accessible and inclusive features you would like to see included

Check out our summary report to learn more about what we heard and what we're doing.

We're using your feedback, along with best practices and experiences in other playgrounds to develop two playground designs for our three parks due for playground replacement next year:

For those interested, Drew Park has a revitalization project of its own this year (including a new playground) - the first round of engagement for Drew park is running from March 5 through 31. Check out the Drew Park project page for more details and to participate in the survey.

What's next?

Timeline for this playground project showing two phases for engagement with information being reviewed following each phase. All phases work toward a final design aimed for fall 2024 and construction the following spring. There is a pin indicated we are currently reviewing feedback from our first round of engagement and we will be back with design options to share for feedback next.

We’ve analyzed all of the information received from engagement, and we'll use the information to develop requirements for the design of new play equipment. We then send this information to specialized playground designers as part of our process for selecting new play equipment. We will review the design submissions and select the best two designs for each park to share with you for your opinions on the best design and how we can improve it even further.

Round two community engagement, with 2 designs for new play equipment for each park, will be shared in the summer of 2024.

Final designs and plans for construction will be shared in the fall of 2024, with construction starting as early in spring of 2025 pending final budget approval.

For more information or to share your thoughts with us directly, contact our Parks team:

parks@guelph.ca
519-837-5626


For more information about playground replacements or budget considerations please read the background info section below.

  • Imagining your next playground

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    Designing a great playground that serves your neighbourhood is so much more than choosing between a swing set and slides.

    What it is: Playground replacements are work we do to already-established parks. When we replace playgrounds, we can change surfacing, equipment to play on and seating within the immediate play area.

    What it isn't: Except where required for accessibility purposes, playground replacements do not expand beyond the footprint of an existing playground to park trails and pathways, trees, seating structures, splash pads and sports amenities. Those items are determined when new parks are built during a master plan process or as separate capital projects.

    Here is a conversation starter to get you thinking about the types of feedback that will help our designers make the best playground for you, your neighbors and the children in your lives.


    Category

    Things you may want to think about and share with us

    Theme

    Is there something special about this park that the playground may be able to support or reflect in the park design or equipment selection? Think about things like:

    • the location, where the park is and what is around it
    • the plants and animals and natural landscape surrounding the park
    • the people who make this area special
    • park or neighbourhood history

    Desired activities

    Think about fun things to do in a playground. What activities would you like to see?

    • climbing
    • swinging
    • spinning
    • puzzle/exploring
    • sliding
    • jumping
    • imagination play
    • …the list of options is endless!

    Age of users

    We always replace playgrounds with equipment suitable for both ages 2-5 and ages 5-12 (and sometimes both at the same time) but some playgrounds may require more focus on use by one age group over another.

    • Think about the people who like to use this park and who might like to use this park in the future. Is the playground already used mainly by older children or younger children? is the neighbourhood aging or are younger families moving in?
    • What ages of play are represented in near-by recreation amenities already, and what ages of children are not already supported well in this area?

    Accessibility and Inclusion

    Building a playground to meet the needs of park neighbours

    In Guelph, we strive to make our playgrounds accessible to children with all kinds of abilities. Playgrounds are a space to grow and develop motor skills and for all children to enjoy the outside world around them through play.

    Neighbourhood playgrounds in particular are tailored to meet the specific needs of the residents who live within a few blocks of the park. If you or a loved one live close to one of these parks and have a special need for skill development, or experience mobility or cognitive challenges that this playground can adapt to meet through special equipment or planning, please let us know how to make this playground inclusive for its neighbours.

    What makes this park special

    Every neighbourhood park has its own flavour, and every neighbourhood is unique. What do we need to know about this neighbourhood to make sure the design works for you and the people around you?

  • Budget Watch

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    supporting image

    Playground replacements are something we budget for every year to keep our community safe and healthy. Replacements are planned for playgrounds across the city and scheduled out as each playground reaches the end of its safe-use lifespan.

    Annual playground replacements are typically funded through our tax base, and these playgrounds have been approved as part of the 2024-2027 budget process.

  • About playground replacements

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    About playground replacements

    When we replace play equipment, we consider available budget, maintenance, how to make the play equipment fun for everyone and comments from our community. Your participation in engagement will help us choose the right play equipment for your neighbourhood.

    When we seek playground equipment providers for this project, we will include both rubber and wood safety playground surfacing within the contract. We will ask the companies who bid on the designs to price both and determine how best to proceed with play surfacing once the bids are received.

    We typically provide rubber at regional parks and wood safety surfacing in neighbourhood parks.

    Managing construction costs:

    We are excited to put your ideas to good use as we finalize playground designs. In the past few years, moving capital projects forward depends on product availability and inflation that could impact the timeline of work. We will do our best to make sure the work proceeds on schedule. If there are significant changes to the project schedule or we adjust which playgrounds will be replaced this year, we’ll share the news on our website, Facebook and Twitter and email participants subscribed to haveyoursay.guelph.ca.

Page last updated: 25 Apr 2024, 06:57 AM