Birchwood Neighbourhood Parks | Municipality of Kincardine

Kinhuron and Lake Huron Highlands Parks

We're doing a review of the parks in the Birchwood neighbourhood of the Municipality of Kincardine. This includes the Kinhuron Park at the corner of North Cedar Lane and Birchwood Avenue and, 0.47 kilometers to the north of that, Lake Huron Highlands Park at the corner of Parkwood Road and Birchwood Avenue.

Current Status

The playground equipment in both parks have reached their expected lifespan of 15-20 years and pose safety risks that do not meet the Canadian Standards Association's (CSA) Z614-20 standards. To address these concerns and enhance community resources effectively, staff recommended consolidating the playgrounds into a single, improved site at Kinhuron Park.

An artist's rendering of the proposed playground.

What's proposed:

The improvements are part of the approved 2025 capital budget, with an allocation of $70,000 for upgrading the playground equipment in the Birchwood Avenue neighbourhood.

It was recommended to move to a playground at the Kinhuron Park location as illustrated here. It complies with the CSA guidelines for safety and accessibility, as well as creating a more engaging play environment for children.

Why would we recommend only Kinhuron Park?

Compliance

Both current playgrounds have some safety hazards requiring attention as they are at their expected lifespan. Replacing and upgrading the playground at Kinhuron Park ensures compliance, and eliminates existing risks.

Accessibility Improvements

Having one consolidated playground allows us to feature components that cater to all children, including those with disabilities. This includes accessible surfaces, swings, slides, and ground panels, fostering an inclusive environment through features like a quiet area and transfer platforms.

Cost Efficiency

Centralizing the playground at Kinhuron Park is a cost-effective measure. Installation at the Lake Huron Highlands site would mean significant expenses for site preparation beyond the current budget without delivering a proportional benefit.

Enhancement Potential

Kinhuron Park offers an open grass area, which allows for expanding the playground footprint, which means a robust and diverse play structure. Extensive tree removal would be required at the Lake Huron Highlands Park to accommodate this kind of equipment.

Community Design and Safety

The location at Kinhuron Park benefits from excellent visibility and oversight from nearby homes, aligning with Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles, which enhances both security and parental peace of mind.

Enhanced Play Structure

Concentrating our resources on one playground offers a larger play structure and more play value for the children.

Share your thoughts

We're asking the Birchwood neighbourhood to share their input about the playgrounds.

Aerial map showing the Kinhuron Park location.

Option 1

Consolidation into Kinhuron Park

Consolidation of the playground into Kinhuron Park focuses resources in a way that allows us to provide a comprehensive and accessible play area as shown above while minimizing environmental disruption.

The Lake Huron Highlands playground equipment would be taken down due to safety concerns. Benches and picnic tables would be installed at this location so it remains a usable greenspace.

Aerial map showing the Lake Huron Highlands Park location.

Option 2

Consolidation into Lake Huron Highlands Park

Focusing resources on Lake Huron Highlands Park allows us to provide a comprehensive and accessible play area, as illustrated above, while minimizing environmental disruption.

The Kinhuron Park playground would be taken down due to safety concerns and benches and picnic tables would be installed to convert the park to greenspace usage.

Option 3

Maintain both sites

A small playground at each park with limited play equipment, as the funding would need to be split between the two locations.

Complete the survey by May 2, 2025

We welcome your input, and your children's input too, since they're the ones who will get the most enjoyment from this project.

Complete the online survey before May 2nd, 2025.

If you'd like a paper copy of the survey, you can pick one up at the Municipal Administration Centre at 1475 Concession 5, Kincardine, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Next Steps

Your input will be presented to Council at one of their future meetings to inform their decision making.

Our goal is to create safe, enjoyable, and inclusive recreational spaces for everyone. Let work together to make our community parks the best they can be for our families.

Thank you for your input.

If you have any questions or would like more information about this project, contact us at 519-396-3468 or by e-mail.