An old and potentially unsafe playground could be due for a rebuild.
On April 19, Lantzville is hosting a Huddlestone Park playground replacement project open house at district hall. Between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., residents will be able to drop by, view and comment on a handful of conceptual playground ideas. The district will also display results from a recent public survey regarding upgrades to the park.
“We are looking to present a couple different concepts. This is the last stage for public input,” said Frank Limshue, the district’s community planner.
Replacing the play equipment at Huddlestone Park was recommended by the district’s parks and recreation commission last year due to the playground’s old age and potential safety issues. The April 19 open house comes after the district distributed a survey asking for residents to provide feedback on the type of playground equipment they would like to see at the park, as well as how often they use the park.
Survey results, which are available on the district’s website, show that a number of residents want to see a zipline installed at Huddlestone Park.
“I don’t know if we have enough space to do one,” Limshue said. “If we can’t do a zipline, maybe we can do other things.”
Lantzville councillors have allocated $142,000 for the project and Limshue said the biggest challenge will be meeting the needs and desires of residents, not exceeding the district’s budget for the project and not building a playground bigger than what they’ve already got.
“The only limitations with Lantzville is that the park has a limited area and we are trying to keep the playground’s footprint the same, and the budget,” he said. “That’s probably the bigger constraint.”
Following the open house, the district will end up hiring a firm to complete the upgrades, according to Limshue, who said the goal is to start construction on playground upgrades sometime this year.
“It all depends on vendors and availability,” he said.