Accessibility design plan report for Welkum Park finalized
Municipality of Shelburne expected to earmark funding in 20/21 budget to start multi-year project
The development of Welkum Park into an accessible recreational space has reached the conceptual design stage with the finalization of an accessibility design plan report, commissioned by the Municipality of Shelburne last year.
The report was on the municipal table for discussion at the Jan. 13 committee of the whole meeting, with councillors accepting the recommendation from the director of recreation and parks, Adam Dedrick, that council accept the accessibility design plan for Welkum Park Report, acknowledging that it is a multi-year project to improve accessibility, and commit capital funds to the project in 20202021.
The recommendation is expected to be ratified at the
Jan. 27 council meeting.
The municipality has been exploring the possibility of accessibility upgrades to Welkum Park since 2018 when they conducted an accessibility audit. In early 2019 the Municipal Recreation Strategic Plan (20192021) was launched, which included goals and action items related to inclusion and accessibility for recreational facilities and specifically Welkum Park. Last summer, consultant Jeremy Banks was awarded the RFP for the accessibility design plan for the park.
“The purpose of the project is to determine how accessibility can be improved at Welkum Park,” said Dedrick in his staff report. “Essentially, we want to look at how we can design the park, so it is welcoming, barrier free and inviting for all to use from the parking lot to the lake. To do this, we need to look at the current design of the park to identify any existing barriers and potential opportunities to determine how we can address both so that the park can be designed to be understood, accessed, and used to the greatest extent possible by all people.”
A stakeholder engagement session, which included a site visit to the park followed by an interactive workshop to review the scope of the project, and to get ideas, input and feedback, was part of the process in developing the report.
Centralized, accessible, inclusive and informative were four shared themes and goals that emerged from the consultations of what should exist regardless of the scale of the project, said Dedrick in an interview.
GOALS ARE:
• Informative: Engagement participants want visitors and residents to have access to information that can improve their experience at the Park by informing them of where amenities are and providing notice of swimming and other activities.
• Inclusive: Amenities such as gazebos, change-rooms, picnic benches and playground areas should offer the opportunity for people of all abilities, regardless of mobility, sight and hearing, to have safe use of the amenity.
• Accessible: Welkum Park should provide safe, marked, pathways for people of all abilities to travel to the key features of the park: wooded areas, water areas, play areas, and quiet spaces.
• Centralized: Frequently used amenities should be located together near key park features. This enables park users of all abilities to stay in active, central areas for such use rather than have to traverse slopes and distance in order to have access.
The report proposes options for various levels of accessibility for Welkum Park, each with various levels of improvements and associated costs including basic access, improved access and ideal access. Projected costs range from $187,000 to $557,362.
“We can still make things accessible but the scale can vary,” said Dedrick.
First steps in making
Welkum Park more accessible are still to be determined, said Dedrick.
“It’s a working design,” he said, adding the municipality will continue to engage stakeholders as the project progresses.