Your Place to Move, Meet and Play! Help Shape Maple Ridge’s New Recreation Facility 

Maple Ridge, B.C…The City of Maple Ridge is kicking off community engagement to explore resident and user group needs and input for a new multi-use recreational facility at Hammond Community Park.  

The community is invited to share their ideas through an online survey available at engage.mapleridge.ca/move-meet-play until February 23 and at open house meetings taking place over the next month.  

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.

The City has hired hcma architecture and design, to undertake a feasibility study for this work that through extensive community engagement and site analysis will determine the scale and type of facility 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 feedback collected during the public engagement for the 2023 Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan.

“The City is very interested to learn how residents and user groups think the new facility will meet their needs,” said Mayor Ruimy. “We know our city is rapidly group and there is a huge demand for more recreation. We see this as an opportunity to create a large, state-of-the-art centre where people can move, meet and play. We want everyone to share their ideas with us. Your feedback will help shape a facility that’s accessible and meets the diverse needs of our community. This is YOUR future place.”

Phase 1 of Community Engagement 

Residents will have the opportunity to share their input through a number of methods including: 

· An online survey available at engage.mapleridge.ca/move-meet-play

· In Person Open Houses: 

o Wednesday, Jan. - 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Maple Ridge Public Library 

o Sunday, Feb. 11 - 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Maple Ridge Leisure Centre

o Thursday, Feb. 15 - 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Planet Ice Arena  

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.

Why Hammond? 

City staff reviewed potential privately and publicly owned locations around the community for a new aquatics and arena facility. The 13-acre Hammond Community Park site met all the requirements as there is sufficient space, it’s fully serviced, accessible by transit and near a major transportation route. It’s also owned by the City, eliminating the cost of buying land. In addition, Hammond Community Centre requires accessibility and building upgrades, and the outdoor pool is nearing the end of its service life.

Future 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.

Comprehensive Recreation Planning 

The Hammond feasibility study is part of a comprehensive approach to recreation planning that considers growth trends across the community. This work included the opening of the Albion Community Centre last year, and the planning is underway for the fourth ice sheet at Planet Ice. 

  To learn more about the PRC Master Plan, visit mapleridge.ca/PRCmasterplan. 

  More information about the feasibility study can be found at mapleridge.ca/move-meet-play. 

Follow the City’s social media channels @yourmapleridge for further information and opportunities to share your feedback. 

For further information, contact: 

Christa Balatti, Manager of Special Projects 

T 604-467-7310 E cbalatti@mapleridge.ca