A new ball diamond, sports court and a soccer field are just a few of the amenities that are coming to an expanded Cottonwood Park in Coquitlam.
Council approved the design for the next phase of the expansion of the Burquitlam green space, which city staff said could be completed within the next year.
“We will have the final design and budget in November with the intention of tendering the project by the end of the year,” said Andre Isakov, the city’s park planning and design manager. “Construction would begin in the spring of next year and finishing before the end of 2021.”
He added that while the project is part of an overall park concept plan developed with the community in 2017, staff would be presenting the latest plans to the neighbourhood in the coming weeks.
“It has been three or four years since residents have seen the concepts,” he said. “We want to check in with the adjacent neighbours to let them know what we are planning.”
The current phase, called 1B, builds on the work done in 1A, which was completed last summer at a cost of $4.1 million, and saw the addition of a water play area, washrooms and picnic space located along Aspen Street at Foster Avenue.
The current phase, which will cost $3.58 million, will see the construction of a ball diamond and sports court on the northwest portion of the property along which will eventually become Emerson Street. There will also be an activity hub featuring table tennis, hockey nets, outdoor exercise equipment and a social spaces.
Staff are also preparing for phase 1C, which would see the addition of three tennis courts along Cottonwood Avenue on the park’s north side.
Further expansions are planned in the coming years, according to city staff. When the work is fully completed, the park will grow from its current 2.6 acres to 11.5 acres, making it a central recreation hub for the densifying Burquitlam neighbourhood, according to a city report.
“The completion of future Phases 2 and 3 of the park development will depend on the timeline to secure additional properties,” the city said in a staff report.
