Council Report: CHANCELLOR PARK PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT – WHAT WE HEARD REPORT

CHANCELLOR PARK PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT – WHAT WE HEARD REPORT

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the June 10, 2024 report from the Community Planner titled “Chancellor Park Public Engagement – What We Heard Report” be received for information.

PURPOSE:

To present Council with a summary of “What We Heard” from the Chancellor Park public engagement events held on June 5 and June 8, 2024, as well as the online survey which launched on May 27, 2024 and closed on June 9, 2024.

TIME CRITICAL:

The Chancellor Park Playground Replacement was budgeted as a 2024 capital project.

BACKGROUND:

The engagement process was undertaken from Monday, May 27, 2024 to Sunday, June 9, 2024 with a mix of online engagement (survey) and two in-person open houses held at various times to remove barriers to participation. 133 people participated in the process.

The two in-person engagement opportunities took place on the following dates:

• A drop-in open house was held on Wednesday, June 5, 2024 at Eagle Creek Village Quality Foods from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and
• An outdoor open house was held Saturday, June 8, 2024 at Chancellor Park from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

During the open houses, participants could view a series of informational boards and speak to Town staff and consultants in-person.

The responses and input from the engagement process will inform the playground upgrade as well as the future development and use of the park space.

DISCUSSION:

As noted above, a total of 133 people participated in the Chancellor Park public engagement process with 41 of those attending the open houses and 92 completing the online survey. A comprehensive summary of the responses and feedback received during the engagement process is provided in Attachment 1.

Overall Themes:

• Participants were supportive of the introducing of universally accessible playground equipment.
• Survey respondents and attendees at both open houses indicated a preference for climbing structures, in-ground trampolines, and swings as the top three playground features.
• Park furniture (e.g. chairs, benches, picnic tables), grassy open spaces and shaded areas were the top three preferred features respondents and attendees wanted to see in the park. Some park users indicated their preference that not all park furniture should be focused on the playground.
• Some respondents noted that with the park’s proximity to the Galloping Goose, can be a safety hazard and suggested that a fence separating the park users from the cyclists would be beneficial to keep children from running onto the path or balls rolling under cyclists as they pass by.
• Other attendees were concerned about reducing the amount of greenspace currently available in the park. Many park users expressed how they would often see people use the space to sit and enjoy the sun, toss a ball for their dog, or just run around.
• While some expressed a desire for an off-leash dog area, others strongly opposed the park becoming an off-leash dog park and pushed for signage to indicate that dogs must remain on-leash.
• Many envisioned the park as a space for all ages and accessibility levels; and hoped to have the park become a destination with multiple activities and/or features in the park, that were not exclusive use of any one group.
• Some – especially those living in closer proximity to the park – had concerns about noise and expressed fear that the park would be used for unwanted activities.
• Several park users indicated a desire for a public washroom and additional lighting to be available on site. Yet, many other park users indicated that a public washroom may bring with it more unwanted activities to the park and would possibly require monitoring and/or only be open during daytime hours.
• Some residents also indicated a desire to have a formal path connecting Cheltenham Street to the Park. Currently Cheltenham Street is connected to the park via a dirt path that is not maintained and is often muddy when it rains, and slippery during the winter.
• Social media, signage in the park and on the Town’s website were the top three ways of how people wanted to be kept informed about the process for this project.

CONCLUSION:

The input collected from these public engagement activities will inform the draft design concept for Chancellor Park playground. Once staff have prepared a draft concept for the playground, staff will present the concept at a future Council meeting.

Attachments

Attachment 1: What We Heard Summary Consultation Report
Attachment 2: Poster Boards from Open Houses