Share Your Ideas to Help Shape Courtenay’s Playgrounds

What’s in your dream playground? The City of Courtenay is reimagining the future of play in the community. Whether you’re a kid, a grandparent, or in between, the City wants to hear your ideas.

The “Let’s Play, Courtenay!” project will create new playground design standards for City playgrounds. These are a set of steps the City will follow to make sure Courtenay’s playgrounds are designed and upgraded to best meet the needs of our community.

The first phase of the Let’s Play, Courtenay! project is running from now until February 16, 2024. To share your feedback, fill out a survey at www.courtenay.ca/letsplay

•  Let's Play, Courtenay! Survey

 

“Whether you’re a kid or a kid at heart, we want to hear your thoughts and ideas for Courtenay’s playgrounds,” said Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells. “These new standards will include information about what materials to use, which activities to include in a play area, where to put planting or furnishings, and how to make playgrounds fun for everyone. The Let’s Play, Courtenay! project is an important part of the homework the City needs to do before investing in these important community spaces, so we’re hoping to hear from as many residents as possible.”

The City will also be consulting with community partners, including schools, Indigenous organizations, accessibility advocates, and groups specializing in child, youth, and family supports.

The City will offer a second survey opportunity in the spring for the community to review the draft playground design standards before they are finalized. Once complete, the new standards will be used by planners, designers, and builders when building new playgrounds or upgrading existing playgrounds. The new design standards will be put to use immediately, as the City of Courtenay has allocated an extra $1 million in grant funding from the Province of BC Growing Communities Fund for Courtenay playgrounds over the next two years.

Planning for specific playgrounds across the city will happen over time as they are upgraded or developed. The number of playgrounds installed or upgraded each year is based on the City’s annual budget.

The Let’s Play, Courtenay! project builds on work completed for other City plans that identified opportunities for improvements to parks and playgrounds, including the Official Community Plan completed in 2022, and the Parks and Recreation Master Plan completed in 2019.

Kids, check the pages of the January 31 Comox Valley Record for a full-page playground drawing contest for a chance to win prizes!

To learn more about Let’s Play, Courtenay! visit www.courtenay.ca/letsplay

 

Fast Facts

Let’s Play, Courtenay! is an opportunity for residents of all ages to help shape the future of play in the community.

• There are currently 19 playgrounds and one fitness park in the City of Courtenay.
• Courtenay’s capital budget includes $1.036 million for playground replacements in 2024 and 2025, which includes $1 million from the Growing Communities Fund.
• The final park playground design standards are anticipated in spring 2024.