Old Post Park playground

Thank you to everyone who provided input on this project. We're excited to share that the Old Post Park playground is now ready for play!

The installation of the new playground will happen in the second and third weeks of May! Following mulch delivery and inspection, it should be ready to play at the end of the month. Once the playground is installed, please respect the fences and stay off the equipment until the safety inspection is complete.

Based on the survey we conducted earlier this year, the project team has modified design option 1 to suit community feedback. The major changes to playground option 1 include:

• The addition of monkey bars
• The addition of a multi-use spinner
• The addition of stand-alone musical play panels
• An updated colour palette

You can see different photos of the new playground in the photo album section, titled 'Final playground designs' of this Engage page.

The playground will be ready for installation in Spring 2022. Thank you for your contributions to this project, and for your patience as we work through some delays. We look forward to seeing the community enjoy this new playground!

The playground manufacturer is dealing with steel shortages, and unfortunately, the installation of the new playground is delayed until Spring 2022.

The old playground had already been removed before we were aware of the steel shortages. We will complete the site works by the end of October, and share a finalized design for the new playground by the end of November. The new playground will now be installed in Spring of 2022.

We apologize for the delay and will continue to update the community as this project unfolds. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.

Thank you for contributing to the Old Post Park playground survey #2.

According to the survey, 116 people chose playground design option 1, while 51 people preferred playground design option 2.

Respondents also submitted feedback on what they liked about both designs, so our team is reviewing that feedback to see if we can design a playground that incorporates elements from both design options.

We will report back to the community shortly.

Thank you for contributing to the Old Post Park Playground Survey #1.

We are thankful for all those who contributed. The information below is a summary of what we heard from the community.

Preferred playground equipment

This chart indicates playground equipment specified by survey respondents. Some of the playground equipment types have been grouped together for the purpose of information sharing. Our project manager has retained more detailed notes.

Please note that the existing swings at the playground site will remain, and no additional swings are included in the playground replacement project. Other equipment pieces will be included in a list of preferred playground elements when we issue the request for playground equipment design.

Playground themes

According to the survey results, users preferred the following themes:

• Creative and imaginative playgrounds
• Colourful playgrounds
• Playgrounds with natural features
• Traditional type play equipment

Playground surface

Survey respondents generally preferred wood chip or rubber type surfacing, however engineered wood fibre surfacing will be used to meet accessibility standards while preserving budget for playground equipment.

Accessibility

While no survey respondents indicated a need for enhanced accessibility, respondents did show significant interest in an accessible playground design.

To meet current design guidelines the playground area will be designed to include an accessible ramp into the playground area. The playground equipment will be designed to meet CSA-Z106-20 guidelines and will include a variety of accessible features as recommended by the guideline.

Additional playground design notes

The following themes emerged from survey responses regarding the playground:

• The playground should cater to users of varying ages.
• Residents would like to see additional benches, and picnic tables near the playground area.
• The playground area needs more shade.
• There is interest in planting additional shade trees, particularly native trees.

The playground will be designed to fulfill these needs while reflecting project budget.

Additional survey data

In addition to information collected about the playground design, a number of other requests were made to improve Old Post Park playground. These included:

• An enhanced waste system
• Additional pathway infrastructure
• A shade structure
• Sports facilities
• Dog park amenities
• A skateboard park
• A spray pad
• Fitness equipment
• A community garden
• Additional winter amenities

While these amenities fall outside of the scope of this project, city staff will explore the opportunity to include amenities like these in Waterloo parks through the long term implementation of the parkland strategy and future capital parks projects. We urge you to explore parks and projects across the city that include listed features, such as the Albert McCormick Community Centre skate park and splash pad project. Should community members like to implement a shared vegetable garden, we encourage you to explore our Community Garden Toolkit to determine viability of this feature for your community.