New Westminster’s newest park has earned an award of excellence from the B.C. Recreation and Parks Association.
The association awarded the City of New Westminster the Provincial Parks Excellence Award for 2016 for Saint Mary’s Park. Adjacent to École Qayqayt Elementary School on the former Saint Mary’s Hospital site, the park is located in a growing multi-family neighbourhood.
“Saint Mary’s Park has been well-received by the community, due largely in part to the meaningful engagement that took place with residents, the New Westminster school district and community organizations throughout the planning and design process,” said Dean Gibson, the city’s director of parks and recreation. “As a result, the design of the park is responsive to the needs of the community and enhances the play experience and educational opportunities for both the neighbourhood and elementary school.”
A press release from the city states that the boundary between the sites is intentionally “blurred” such that the combined amenities - for example, the playground, nature play, community gardens, sports fields, open lawn and sport courts - augment the play experience for the school children and meet the needs of the broader community.
“The integration of natural systems and wildlife habitat is always a consideration when designing city parks and open spaces, especially in urban neighbourhoods,” Erika Mashig, the city’s parks and open space planner, said in a press release. “In keeping with this mandate, the large nature play area at Saint Mary’s park encourages children to interact with natural features such as sand, logs, stumps, boulders and vegetation.”
The B.C. Recreation and Parks Association singled out the park for its innovative use of recycled materials, from the more commonly used rubber surfaces made from tires to the use of reclaimed granite bricks, salvaged from the historic streets of New Westminster, to build the gabion bench seats located in the community garden. The park was completed last spring.
“As a result of sound planning techniques, Saint Mary’s Park is a great success as its design responds to the needs of the community and enhances the play experience and educational opportunities for the school site,” Rebecca Tunnacliffe, the association’s CEO, said in a press release.
