Rec Facility Study

This Rec Facility Study is part of a comprehensive approach to recreation planning that considers growth trends across the community. This work included the opening of the Albion Community Centre last year, and the planning is now underway for the fourth ice sheet at Planet Ice Maple Ridge.

We see this as an opportunity to create a large, state-of-the-art centre where people can be active & come together. To learn how residents and our user groups think the new facility will meet their needs, we conducted a series of open houses and a public survey until February 23, 2024. 

The City has hired hcma architecture and design to undertake the Recreation Feasibility Study. This effort will involve both community engagement and site analysis, both of which will determine the scale and type of facility & services needed to best serve the community now and into the future. The analysis will also consider leading trends and best practices research along with the extensive feedback collected during the public engagement for the 2023 Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan. 

Read the News Release for further details.

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Work on the Recreation Feasibility Study began in December 2023 and is being completed in phases. There will be two rounds of public engagement, with the first round beginning January 22-February 23. The outcomes of community engagement will help inform the development of 3-4 concept plans for future recreational services at Hammond Community Park. Community Engagement Round 2 (there will be further opportunity to input on the site location and consideration in phase 2 of the engagement - when more information is known on the concept layouts, costing, and transportation impacts) will take place in Spring 2024 and will invite community members to provide feedback on future facility concept plans. 

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City staff reviewed potential private and public locations around the community for a new aquatics and arena facility. The 13-acre Hammond Community Park meets all the requirements – sufficient space, a fully serviced site, in a developed area with a growing population, accessible by transit, and near a major transportation route. It’s also owned by the City, eliminating the cost of buying land to deliver the project.

In addition, Hammond Community Centre is earmarked for accessibility and building upgrades, and the outdoor pool is nearing the end of its service life. The City approved $2.5 million to renovate the centre in 2018, but paused this work to consider broader long-term community needs determined through the PRC master plan work.

Phase 1 of the Rec Feasibility Study is now closed.

Here are the dates of our engagement opportunities:

• Online & Offline Survey - Ran until February 23, 2024
• Open House: Wednesday, Jan.31, 2024 - 5:00pm - 8:00pm at Maple Ridge Public Library 
• Hammond Neighbourhood Focus Session: Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 - 10am - 1pm at Hammond Community Centre
• Open House: Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 - 10:00am - 1:00pm at Maple Ridge Leisure Centre 
• Open House: Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024 - 4:00pm - 7:00pm at Planet Ice Arena

Focus group meetings were also be held with a variety of user groups, community groups and key partners including Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows School District No. 42. 

The engagement for this project is at the "consult" level of the International Association for Public Participation's (IAP2) Spectrum of Public Participation. This means that we will keep you informed, listen to and acknowledge concerns and aspirations, and provide feedback on how public input influenced the decision. Learn more about how we use the Spectrum as a foundation for community engagement here!

• Phone | 604-467-7310
• Email | recfacilitystudy@mapleridge.ca 

Hammond Community Park met the preferred criteria: sufficient space, fully serviced site, in a developed area with a growing population, accessible by transit and near a major transportation route. It’s also owned by the City, eliminating the cost of buying land to deliver the project.

Introducing a new multi-use recreation facility with an indoor pool and ice arena is a corporate priority for the City of Maple Ridge. City Council will have the opportunity to make a decision on the project’s future in fall 2024 at which time we will know better the timelines to update the community. A project of this magnitude normally takes three to five years to complete in cases where there are minimal interruptions.

In phase 1 we ran a digital survey until Friday, February 23 along with several open house and neighbourhood focus sessions.

As we move into phase 2 you will have the opportunity to provide additional feedback on potential facility designs pending site feasibility is established.

Should the Rec Facility Study determine that Hammond Community Park is a feasible location for the new facility and the project progresses to the next step, the baseball fields will be relocated and improved upon based on community and user group engagement.

The project team will continue to engage with the user group(s) who currently use the baseball fields to identify their current needs and ensure the plans for relocation and creating a new facility meets their needs and exceeds expectations where possible.
 
The legacy of Larry Walker is integral to the future, reimagined baseball fields. The City will work to continue to honour the legacy of Larry Walker and his contributions to the grassroots growth of baseball in Maple Ridge.

The project team has initiated conversations with the childcare providers whose operations are based in the building.

It is too early in the process to determine cost estimates. There are many variables to consider when determining the overall costs of a new recreation facility, all of which will be explored as part of the Rec Facility Study.

The City recognizes East Maple Ridge’s continued residential growth and has invested in neighbourhoods through the development of two Silver Valley Gathering Places, the new Albion Community Centre, the recent development of the Albion Sports Complex outdoor beach volleyball courts, and the fourth ice sheet project that is currently in progress.