The $495,000 "destination park" that District of Squamish planning staff envisioned in January is back on track thanks to the news that the district will receive a $375,000 Towns for Tomorrow grant.
"What it means is that rather than just do [rebuild] the playground this year, which is what council had budgeted for, we will be able to make the complete improvements to the park including the cenotaph," said Cameron Chalmers, the district's community services general manager.
"It will be a great addition to the downtown core and it's a great capital project for the district."
In January, planners Jim Charlebois and Elaine Naisby put together the design components and a preliminary concept for a $495,000 upgrade of Stan Clarke Park - contingent on receiving the $375,000 Towns for Tomorrow grant and an additional $40,000 in the 2011 budget.
Council was impressed at the amount and quality of work undertaken by Naisby and Charlebois, work that would have cost between $20,000 and $25,000 had the district tendered out the design.
Naisby, who started working for the district in October, is a registered landscape architect and Charlebois also has a background in architectural design.
Council passed a resolution to approve the $40,000 and Charlebois said he expected to hear about the grant within 60 days.
When Towns for Tomorrow award decisions hadn't been made by April 26 (more than 90 days later), the planning department prepared a report recommending council allow staff to proceed with only the playground replacement in 2011.
"As a result of the delayed decision, the original project timeline presented to council in January is no longer viable," Charlebois said on April 26.
Much to the planning staff's delight, the Towns for Tomorrow grant received on Friday (June 10) has made what's being called a "destination park" possible.
The B.C. government is helping small communities address infrastructure priorities with $17.2 million through the Towns for Tomorrow program, announced Ida Chong, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, and Blair Lekstrom, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, in a statement issued on Friday (June 10).
Chalmers said thanks to the grant, the park upgrades should be completed fairly quickly.
"We have to start looking at construction schedules and work with our engineering and parks department to see when we can get it done," he said.
The plans for the park upgrades were drawn up after officials received substantial community feedback via public meetings and correspondence. A key objective identified through that process was to connect the downtown park system.
The preliminary design connects the current Stan Clarke Park and Cenotaph Park with a paved walkway, built to accommodate market and artisan vendors along the sides when desired.
New and improved playground equipment, two reading circles, a climbing boulder, a birch tree grove and a central plaza are all part of the plan to make the new Stan Clarke Park appealing for all ages, Naisby said in January.
If the Royal Canadian Legion agrees, the plan is to put the cenotaph at the centre of the plaza, highlighting its significance, and to emphasize the park's continuity, there would an initiative to have the mosaic tiles in the west side of the park mirrored in the ceremonial plaza on the east side.
Towns for Tomorrow funding is intended to support the development or improvement of local infrastructure. Eligible projects include those related to water quality, wastewater, environmental energy improvements, local roads, recreation, culture, tourism, public transit, protective and emergency services infrastructure and community development.
The B.C. government caucus on Monday (June 13) also announced a $121,500 grant for the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corp. through the Brownfield Renewal Funding Program and a $45,000 Community Gaming Grant for the Britannia Beach Historical Society.
