Hamilton Amateur Athletic Association Park Renewal

Thank you for all of the thoughtful planning and comments. I prefer B. It has a welcoming feel to the entrance. I do agree, though, that for families with various aged children, having the splash pads closer is a good idea. I also note just how many families bring their dogs and wish that the off-leash was not written off.

100% vote for Concept B! Move the b-ball courts to make the Charlton St entrance better, much larger splash pad and better setup for play structures! Thank you to the city for engaging the community and incorporating our feedback into the final park design!

Prefer concept b - enhances entrance off Charlton. Would prefer track to be soft surface and maintained at 400 m - anything but asphalt!

Another 'vote' for concept B- specifically the larger splash pad. I would still prefer to see the Jr. and Sr play structures be integrated (kids don't know that they are jr. vs. sr. they just want to play with their friend, siblings etc). I also appreciate overall the changes to the field/track to accommodate features that will benefit the wider community. The adventure play area also sounds interesting and would be a nice feature.

Is it possible to keep the football field? Or at least the upright goal posts? Lots of rugby and football players still use the field and this will accommodate all sports not just soccer. And trees, on the back side of either end zone seems nuts. Please don’t forget this park exists because of football (not soccer). I’d also like to see a 400m track not a 350m.

Was there a reason a refrigerated ice skating surface was not considered? Seemed to have the most upvotes in the concept stage.

Thanks!

Plan B!

I feel like a broken record but I would agree with all the previous comments supporting Concept B. Moving the basketball courts will completely change the park entrance and make it much more inviting. I have young kids who enjoy the splash pad so I prefer the larger pad in Concept B. Really like keeping the soft track too.

I agree with many of the comments made highlighting the benefits of Concept B over A (e.g. relocated b-ball court, larger slash pad). Preferences of Concept A that I would hope to incorporate into a finalised hybrid "preferred concept" are: (1) the closer proximity of the jr. and sr. play areas (for parents trying to manage kids on both, this would also allow greater separation of little kids playing from the chess players), (2) the skate dot, (3) the adventure/ecological play area.

Think I like Concept B the most. Having young kids who spend a lot of time at the park in the summer, I think the bigger splash pad is a great idea. I'd like to see the adventure play area from Concept A incorporated somewhere into Concept B. Also agree with earlier comments made about making the Charlton St entrance very lush and full of trees. It'll make the main park entrance look beautiful

I really like how both designs incorporate more trees into the park. Ultimately I think Concept B is much better. New park design really makes it feel like brand new space. I really like the chess tables tucked in behind the HAAA buidling. As an avid chess player I also like the basketball courts being moved towards the Tuckett St entrance as it'll reduce noise for chess games.

I know that the idea of an off-leash dog park is not currently on the planning radar given that Hill Street is around 1 km away, but looking at how many people bring their dogs to HAAA and how many of them are off-leash regardless of the regulations, I wonder if a small off-leash area could still be a consideration.

I'd like to add my voice to other commenters in support of Concept B. The frontage along Charlton Ave. seems to have considerably more trees and the shaded seating area, as well as the chess tables behind the HAAA building seem really well suited along this end of the park.

Overall I really like Concept B. I think someone else already touched on this but I really like moving the basketball courts away from the Charlton park entrance. It'll really make the entrance look much more appealing. Concept B shows more proposed trees near the park entrance which will really add to the parks beauty while also keeping it very functional.

Great to see that so many people see value in continuing to maintain the track. With only one other city track, we cannot let this one go. Please do not pave the track. There are many people who travel to HAAA specifically to run on the soft surface. We have asphalt everywhere. Clay is amazing, especially for people who need a forgiving footfall. If it cannot continue to be clay, then maybe gravel, like the surface at Churchill. And please keep it big - a bigger track provides a bigger infield.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment on this important initiative. Having lived in the neighbourhood for 10+yrs and with 3 kids under the age of 5, we're at the HAAA almost everyday and we're big supporters of Concept B. I think this option is far superior for the following reasons:
- It changes the overall layout of the park. Concept A is pretty much the same as now, just slightly newer. Concept B is a complete overhaul and really makes it feel like a brand new park.
- Much larger splash pad for the kids. The current one and the design proposed in concept A are too small. A small splash pad is often discouraging for younger children when it's too busy and there's not enough space.
- The splash pad is in between each play area. This makes life for parents with kids of different ages much easier as we can very easily see our kids on either play area or at the splash pad.
- Moving the basketball courts to the NW corner. This opens up the main entrance of the park to be much more beautiful and welcoming. Right now the whole west entrance to the park off Charlton isn't very appealing with the courts being right there and with the large fence. This also keeps distance between the basketball courts and the chess tables, as it's difficult to play chess with the noise from the basketball courts very close by.

One other recommendation would be to add an adventure play area to Concept B and place it just south of the Sr. play area. That would create one 'central play zone' for the kids and again would make it easier for parents to manage multiple children if they're moving between different play structures.

I like the increased shade. I especially like the pedestrian lighting from Duke to Tuckett. This park is my back yard and I am very grateful for it but it doesn't always feel safe at night.

Seating on the north end is really important. If people come in from Duke St. they have to walk all the way to the south end to find a bench.

My major concern is that it is assumed no one walks north/south on the east side of the track. In fact large numbers of people come in from Duke and go to Charlton.
And a large number of people, the elderly and the dog walking, enter at Duke and circumnavigate the school, coming back out to Queen or Duke again. People with walkers, and parents with strollers want to be able to walk all the way around the track, or north/south on either side of the track. At the moment they use a very narrow and unmaintained sidewalk beside the Rec Centre....and in winter the access to that may be piled high with snow. This past winter I was unable to get to the park for most of February and March because that entrance was unavailable.

Like concept B more than concept A but very interested in the ecological play option featured in concept A. Really appreciate the larger splash pad area in concept B as there are so many children in the area who do not have easy access to pools, etc. in the summer. Durand Park splash pad is very busy in the summer months and a better splash pad at HAAA grounds would take some of the population pressure off of Durand Park.