Homer Barrett Park Playground

Have Your Say! Complete the Survey Today!

The Township is in the process of replacing the existing playground at Homer Barrett Park in Elmvale. The first phase of the project will be to design the new play area, with playground equipment that will serve a diverse range of ages and abilities.

In addition to the existing playground, Homer Barrett Park has the following amenities:

Splash Pad
Open passive recreational green space (used for passive play of sports such as soccer, football, frisbee, etc.);
Multi-purpose sports courts;
Shade and picnic structure; and,
Toboggan hill (seasonal).

What's next

Once community feedback has been collected, it will be shared with the community. The new playgrounds will be installed in Spring/Summer 2023, material and weather permitting.

Project Background

In the winter of 2022, the Township received a $200,000 Community Building Fund grant from the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. This grant focuses on assisting municipalities, Indigenous communities, and non-profit organizations in the community sport and recreation sectors by supporting repairs, renovations, and/or retrofitting existing sport and recreation facilities. The Township grant was approved for the replacement of the Homer Barrett Park playground equipment with new equipment that is accessible and inclusive for a wide range of ages and abilities.

Phase 1 - Community Engagement and Design

We want to hear from you! Stay tuned for a Community Engagement Survey and Pop-In Session to provide your feedback on the play equipment features you would like to see in the new playground.

Ultimately, a well planned, best fit configuration of the proposed features and amenities will be determined in consultation with the landscape architect.

Park Layout Concept Design

Some of the factors to be considered during the design phase of the project include:

Provision for a neighbourhood park in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan;
Site appearance (looking inwards and outwards);
Site topography;
Environment/ecology;
Adjacent land uses, both favourable or incompatible;
Vehicular and pedestrian patterns;
Universal accessibility;
Safety and security; and,
Wind and sun exposure.

When building new parks, a variety of considerations must be taken into consideration, including budget, maintenance, how to ensure play equipment incorporates diverse age ranges and abilities, and comments from the community.

Based on the feedback received from the Community Engagement Survey and Pop-In Session, a design concept will be rendered for the review and approval of Council prior to the procurement process for the new play equipment and construction.

Project Timelines

Spring 2022: Have Your Say campaign to gather resident feedback regarding desired playground features.
Spring/Summer 2022: Township will work with the design consultants on a concept for the park playground space and new equipment. Concept designs will be created based on consultation with a landscape architect and resident feedback.
Summer 2022: Park concept design tendered. The final design may be adjusted to meet the allocated budget.
Spring/Summer 2023: Projected opening of the new playground equipment.

About Playground Replacements

When the Township replaces play equipment, we consider available budget, maintenance, how to make the play equipment fun and inclusive for everyone, and comments from the community. Your participation in engagement will help us choose the right play equipment for your neighbourhood.

We typically provide rubber at Community Parks and wood safety surfacing in Neighbourhood Parks. This will be further assessed as we explore broader park service levels for all recreational amenities as part of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.