Waterloo expanding network of action sport parks
(Waterloo, Ont. – Nov. 29, 2018) The City of Waterloo is planning more skateparks to complement the popular flagship skatepark in uptown, on Father David Bauer Drive.
“Waterloo loves its skateboard park in uptown,” says Karen Anderson, landscape architect for the City of Waterloo and the lead on this project. “It’s time to invest in action sport parks closer to key neighbourhoods.”
The City of Waterloo’s action sport strategy provides a plan for the three most common action sports practiced within Waterloo’s public spaces – skateboarding, BMX and mountain biking. The strategy sets the vision, approach and actions necessary to guide the expansion of opportunities for urban action sports within Waterloo.
The city has engaged New Line Skateparks Inc. to provide their expertise in the park designs and consultation process. New Line Skateparks helped with the design of the Waterloo Skatepark on Father David Bauer Drive and have designed action sport parks all over Canada.
Three locations have already been selected for the new action sport parks:
- Albert McCormick Community Centre
- Stork Family YMCA/John M. Harper Branch Library
- RIM Park
City staff encourages the community to get involved and provide feedback on the types of features they’d like to see in these new parks.
A short questionnaire is available at engagewr.ca/waterloo. Everyone who completes the questionnaire is entered into a draw to win a skateboard or a BMX bike. The questionnaire is open until Jan. 31, 2019 and can be completed by anyone aged 13 years and older. Please note, youth under age 18 require the consent of a parent/guardian, and individuals younger than 13 years of age must have their parent or caregiver complete the questionnaire on their behalf.
The feedback collected from this questionnaire will inform the design of the skateparks, and in early 2019, the public will be invited to provide feedback on early design concepts. In March 2019, city staff, along with New Line Skateparks will unveil final designs and the community will be invited to view 3D design plans and provide final input. The final park designs will be presented to Waterloo City Council in June 2019. Construction of one or possibly two of the three parks will begin in late 2019.
More information, including the action sport strategy, the questionnaire and project updates and engagement opportunities, is found at engagewr.ca/waterloo
– 30 –
Media contact:
Shelly Reed
Communications specialist
519-747-8515
shelly.reed@waterloo.ca