A park in Lantzville will be getting new playground equipment.
The District of Lantzville is moving forward with plans to install new playground equipment at Copley Park in Upper Lantzville by the end of the year.
According to a recent staff report, the district is in the process of contacting suppliers and are hoping to receive conceuptual design options for new playground equipment at the park. Copley Park currently has a wooden playground structure, swings, a roundabout or merry-go round, box hockey, basketball nets, seesaw and other equipment.
The desire to replace the existing equipment comes after the Municipal Insurance Association of British Columbia’s risk management services conducted an inspection on Copley Park’s playground equipment and determined it either needed to be upgraded or replaced because it did not meet current safety standards, according to a staff report.
Following a recommendation from its Parks and Recreation Commission, the district opted to install new structures and equipment throughout the park rather than update some structures.
The Copley Park replacement project has a budget of $80,000, which was approved by councillors last year following the adoption of the district’s financial plan.
Coun. Ian Savage, who is a member of the district’s parks and recreation committee, said the status of the playground was discussed during a committee meeting on Aug. 8, but nothing has been finalized yet. He said the committee is still exploring its options and that staff are expected to present conceptual designs next month.
“We’re still trying to figure out what the best route is to go,” he said.
Earlier this year the district commissioned a survey asking residents what type of playground equipment they would like to see at Copley Park.
According to the results, 86 per cent of respondents said they used the park. Respondents also commented that they wished to see the merry-go-round, slide, swings incorporated into any new play structure the district decides to install. Other requests included a zipline like the one at Huddlestone Park, a koi pond, bathroom and water fountain, an increased fence around the hockey box, lights, saucer swing, covered picnic tables and a volleyball court.
Savage said the committee is taking the comments from the survey seriously and will incorporate as many ideas as it can into the playground.
“The park serves a big area with many residents and so I think it is best to defer to what the residents want for the park,” he said.
The decision to install new playground equipment at Copley Park comes less than a year after Lantzville went ahead with plans to improve the playspace at Huddlestone Park, which was recently outfitted with new play equipment, including a zipline. The district will be holding a grand opening ceremony at Huddlestone Park on Aug. 16 at 3 p.m. to celebrate the new playground.
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