These are the Burnaby playgrounds that will soon see upgrades

The City of Burnaby is providing more information and locations for its new and upgraded playground facilities.

In December 2022, council approved the Investing in Burnaby Parks report to make the city’s playground sites more engaging and fun for visitors of all ages, with the addition of fitness areas, water play structures, and bigger play structures such as slides and climbing features at some locations.

There are three tiers of playgrounds the city has outlined for improvement.

The first is basic playgrounds, with a proposed allocated budget of $300,000. These playgrounds are located in neighbourhoods and serve kids between two and 12. The sites are within walking distance of the majority of residential neighbourhoods.

The second tier is enhanced playgrounds, which are intended to meet the same age group as basic playgrounds, but are intended to have higher-density uses. The sites have more visitors and can be more expensive to develop, with a proposed budget of $750,000.

The third tier is destination playgrounds, which are intended to serve the city and region broadly and attract visitors. With a budget of $3,500,000, these sites have the capacity for 200 children and maximum universal accessibility.

Staff have now outlined specific sites and a schedule for basic, enhanced, and destination playground upgrades and development, which will be included in a report presented at tonight’s Parks, Recreation & Culture Commission meeting.

“After identifying the proposed locations for enhanced and destination playgrounds, staff completed a second level analysis to look at where each site sits in relation to one another contextually, and what other development projects are occurring in the vicinity,” reads the report.

“These filters help to determine which projects can move forward in conjunction with area development projects and ensure there is equitable distribution throughout the city.”

Following this second analysis, staff have identified several playground redevelopment sites over the next three to five years.

In 2024, Lochdale School Park, Forest Grove Park, Lobley Park, and Poplar Park could see basic playground upgrades.

Construction and upgrades for enhanced and destination sites will are scheduled to take place over allotted two-year time periods, with the first Enhanced upgrades coming to Jim Lorimor Park between 2023-25.

The Jim Lorimor Park project will require a two-step development process, notes the report.

First, a drainage and water management plan will be developed to “create a floodproof plateau in the park for the play area to be located.” After this, the playground will be developed on the plateau.

After the Jim Lorimor project is complete, the city plans to focus on the Central Park destination playground from 2025-27. This playground is proposed for the northeast section of the park.

“The concept plan will be re-visited and configured to include support services for a destination playground in 2023/2024,” states the report. Council will review the playground plan before its construction in 2024.

The report states that the city’s annual budget forecast will include funds for four basic replacement projects and either one enhanced or destination playground project.