The City of Calgary is working with the NHCA to identify options for six playgrounds within our communities that are nearing the end of their lifecycle.
With limited resources available to the City Parks department to replace playgrounds, they are unable to make all the lifecycle changes to all of these sites, and the NHCA doesn’t have the capacity to fund them either. For example, even a small, community playground costs approximately $75,000.00 to just replace like for like.
So, we would like to gather feedback from residents about how frequently these locations are visited and enjoyed, and to help prioritize the sites based on their use and community value. The goal of the City and NHCA is to understand:
- Which of the 6 locations are the most popular among residents?
- What options are available for the most highly used locations?
Locations for 2016-2017
The following six playgrounds are in need of extensive repair:
152 Coventry Circle N.E.- 236 Coventry Green N.E.
- 980 Coventry Drive N.E.
- 31 Country Village Landing N.E.
- 1052 Country Hills Circle N.W.
- 178 Harvest Glen Way N.E.
Replacement options
Community needs and demographics change over time, and the identified playgrounds are about 15 – 20 years old. Some communities opt for playground removal, so the site can be used for a different purpose. In these situations, the space could be transformed by the City Parks department into a nicely landscaped area including seating. The new space would serve as an aesthetically pleasing, social gathering space for picnics, socializing and enjoying the outdoors.
With some help from surrounding residents and fundraising, other possibilities include:
- A like for like replacement.
- A recreational area for older kids and teens, maybe with a basketball hoop.
- A recreational area for teens and adults, perhaps with outdoor fitness equipment.
- An amalgamation of playgrounds – where there is more than one playground in an area that needs to be replaced, the community may be willing to raise funds to transform one of the sites into a much better playground, with more/better equipment.
Fundraising Help
No-one is expected to do this alone! Any residents who are willing to form a committee with the NHCA to look into a playground replacement will receive extensive help and advice from the Parks Foundation. If you would like to help us on a new Playgrounds Committee, please do let us know (see below).
Feedback Needed
WE NEED YOUR HELP to decide which of these playgrounds are of most value to the community; which do we concentrate our efforts on first?
To provide feedback about any of the above playgrounds, please contact the NHCA at either (403) 226-6422 or via email at admin@northernhills.ab.ca by March 31st, 2016. Let us know which of the above playgrounds are important to you, how often it is used, and by what age groups. If your playground demographics have changed, and you would welcome a change from the equipment currently at one of those locations, let us know.
Thank you for your input as we plan our 2016-17 playground life-cycling work!
