Public meetings to help decide the future of White Rock’s Maccaud Park are to get underway this month, following unanimous council support for moving ahead with the process.
The park, located on Kent Street between North Bluff Road and Thrift Avenue, has been popular amongst students who attend Earl Marriott Secondary, and amongst area residents, for years.
Last month, safety issues posed by dying trees prompted city officials to organize the removal of two dozen hazardous alders from the site.
At the time, the city’s director of engineering and municipal engineering promised a public process to guide the park’s future would get underway this spring.
Monday, Rob Thompson told council a series of three meetings will be held for the public to offer their suggestions. The first is to take place this month. A date has not yet been set.
A questionnaire available to attendees will also be posted to the city’s website, Thompson added.
Two or three concept plans are to be developed from the initial responses and presented back to the public at a second meeting in June. An overall plan is expected ready for public and council perusal in July.
Thompson told council he expects the plan will be revised a number of times throughout the process.
According to a staff report, the city’s 2007 Parks Master Plan identifies Maccaud as an area that could assist in meeting the need for a neighbourhood park if more facilities were provided. The plan recommends the park’s pathway be completed and that play facilities be added to the site.
During discussion Monday, Coun. Lynne Sinclair said she would like to see opportunities for unstructured play considered for the park. A lack of such opportunities in the city was one of many points made at the recent early childhood forum held in the city, she noted.
Coun. Doug McLean asked for statistics on the number of children and dogs living within a 10-minute walk of the park. He also suggested that EMS students be invited to design an element of the park, to give them a sense of ownership. Mayor Catherine Ferguson described that concept as “a great idea.”
The city has budgeted $42,000 for improvements to the park in 2012, and another $80,000 in 2014. Estimates on the cost of recommended improvements are to be included in the July report to council. The cost of a landscape architecture firm – estimated at $7,500 – will not come out of that budget, the staff report notes.
