Rec Facility Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
The data we received from all of the nearly 2,360 survey responses and 650 open house comments has now been analyzed and summarized into our Recreation Feasibility Study - Phase 1 Engagement Summary. The feedback gave valuable insight about what the community is wanting for our future place to move, meet, and play.
Read the Recreation Feasibility Study - Phase 1 Engagement Summary here.
Next Steps
As a comprehensive analysis of the land and surrounding area of the proposed site continues, the phase 2 engagement for the Recreation Feasibility Study will begin in May. This phase will invite community members to provide feedback on concept plans for the future facility.
Thank you! Our engagement for Phase 1 of the Rec Feasibility Study is now closed.
In January we began phase 1 of our community engagement to explore resident and user group needs and input for a new multi-use recreational facility at Hammond Community Park. We had an incredible number of survey responses and attendance at our Hammond area Focus Session and Open Houses at Maple Ridge Public Library, Maple Ridge Leisure Centre, and Planet Ice Arena. This was truly one of our largest engagements to date.
Thanks to all who participated to help shape our future recreation facility.
Background
Our City is rapidly growing and there is a huge demand for more recreation. In the 2023 Parks, Recreation, and Culture Master Plan, the City of Maple Ridge identified a pressing need for new aquatic and arena facilities, ranking these among the top five recreation capital investment priorities. Hammond Community Park has been identified as the preferred site for the City’s future aquatics facility and ice sheet – priorities identified in the Parks, Recreation and Culture (PRC) Master Plan adopted in February 2023. As a City-owned property and home to the aging Hammond Community Centre and outdoor pool, the site is ideal to minimize land purchase costs for the new facility.
We see this as an opportunity to create a large, state-of-the-art centre where people can be active & come together. To learn how residents and our user groups think the new facility will meet their needs, we conducted a series of open houses and a public survey until February 23, 2024.
Past Open Houses and Focus Session
- Wednesday, Jan.31, 2024 - 5:00pm - 8:00pm at Maple Ridge Public Library
- Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 - 10am - 1pm at Hammond Community Centre (focused neighbourhood session)
- Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 - 10:00am - 1:00pm at Maple Ridge Leisure Centre
- Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024 - 4:00pm - 7:00pm at Planet Ice Arena
Focus group meetings were also be held with a variety of user groups, community groups and key partners including Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows School District No. 42.
The City has hired hcma architecture and design to undertake the Recreation Feasibility Study. This effort will involve both community engagement and site analysis, both of which will determine the scale and type of facility & services needed to best serve the community now and into the future. The analysis will also consider leading trends and best practices research along with the extensive feedback collected during the public engagement for the 2023 Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan.
Work on the Recreation Feasibility Study began in December 2023 and is being completed in phases. There will be two rounds of public engagement, with the first round beginning January 22-February 23. The outcomes of community engagement will help inform the development of 3-4 concept plans for future recreational services at Hammond Community Park. Community Engagement Round 2 (there will be further opportunity to input on the site location and consideration in phase 2 of the engagement - when more information is known on the concept layouts, costing, and transportation impacts) will take place in Spring 2024 and will invite community members to provide feedback on future facility concept plans.
Read the News Release for further details.
Level of Engagement - Consult
The engagement for this project is at the "consult" level of the International Association for Public Participation's (IAP2) Spectrum of Public Participation. This means that we will keep you informed, listen to and acknowledge concerns and aspirations, and provide feedback on how public input influenced the decision. Learn more about how we use the Spectrum as a foundation for community engagement here!
See below for additional information and answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
About the Study
Scope of the Study
While the Study’s focus is on the aquatics and ice components, it will take a comprehensive approach that includes:
- Extensive public engagement with community and interested parties,
- Scale and type of facility needed,
- A site analysis including three to four design concepts,
- Potential additional recreation uses identified as needs in the PRC Master Plan, including fitness centre and indoor track.
- Archeological, geotechnical, parking and traffic assessments,
- Potential operating models and estimated costs.
The analysis will also consider leading trends, best practices and regional facilities comparisons, along with the extensive feedback collected during public engagement for the new PRC Master Plan and 2017-2018 recreation infrastructure review.
Next Steps
Detailed designing, program refinement and a funding model will follow the completion of the feasibility study and further discussion by Council in fall 2024.
If the project were to proceed, the intent is to integrate the existing Hammond Community Centre and pool programming into the new facility. The park’s existing baseball fields would be re-constructed in a different location with an enhanced experience recognizing the legacy of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Larry Walker after whom one of the existing fields is named.
In addition, focus group meetings will be held with a variety of user groups, community groups and key partners including Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows School District No. 42.