A proposal to redevelop Banff’s recreation grounds calls for a winter only off-leash dog area, a permanent skateboard park, construction of a new multi-purpose building and expansion of children’s play facilities.
The new draft recreation facilities master plan, which is out for public review through an online survey on the Town of Banff’s website until Oct. 31, says there’s a need for a site-specific plan for the whole recreation grounds area.
“The idea is to have better overall use of the rec grounds throughout the year and throughout the day,” said Chad Townsend, the Town of Banff’s point man on the recreation facilities master plan.
“The guiding principle council gave us is to make sure all of our assets are well used throughout the year and to look at ways to make that happen as opposed to adding new land or building new spaces.”
Banff’s recreation grounds provide the only option for adult regulation field sport play in the municipality, but there’s also a running track, community greenhouse, tennis and basketball courts, skateboard park, mountain bike park, picnic shelters and washrooms there.
The last plan for the rec grounds dates back to 1993.
A few of the recommendations to be considered under a site-specific plan would include:
• Consider building a multi-purpose building or adding to the existing washroom building to provide user groups with change rooms, showers, additional washrooms and some storage. A multi-purpose building could also provide additional services for tourists, such as sports equipment rentals and concessions;
• Consider adding a new winter only dog off-leash area. An elk-exclusion fence and Parks Canada approval would be required;
• Improve and expand facilities for tourists, tournaments and special events, with more picnic amenities, expanded options for concessions by local businesses and access to rented or free recreation equipment;
• Improve and expand the children’s play facilities. Consider adding a tricycle/biking circuit suitable for young children, a small challenge course and/or a beginner mountain bike skills/skateboard obstacle;
• Consider adding another basketball court and practice hoops for younger kids;
• Consider relocation of the bike skills area to Tunnel Mountain because the area is occasionally flooded and requires regular renovation as a result. The plan says there is potential to develop a bike skills area at Tunnel through a partnership with Parks Canada;
• Create a permanent skate park. The existing park is comprised of temporary structures built and maintained by volunteers. In addition to a permanent location at the rec grounds, consider incorporating small skateboard feature nodes at other locations around town;
• Consider future expansion of the existing community greenhouse, given the demand for community garden space is likely to increase based on local and national trends;
• Field upgrades to be pursued in conjunction with reconfiguration of the layout to have one dedicated rectangular field, two dedicated diamonds and one overlapping field/diamond combination, by removing fencing on the Sulphur diamond.
Townsend said there is limited available land at the rec grounds.
“When we look at the long shopping list, there is simply not the land base to do everything and a site-specific plan would try to tackle some of those issues. Other municipalities have the ability to add playing space, but we don’t,” he said.
“Inevitably, shared space has to be part of it. We see that working on the rugby and soccer field and it’s used by those two sports on alternating days, and then it’s available for free play to throw a ball or fly a kite.”
The survey on the recreation facilities master plan closes Oct. 31 and council will discuss the plan at its Nov. 12 meeting. The plan is available for review on the Town’s website at http://www.banff.ca/index.aspx?NID=871.
