A staff report calls for the city of Coquitlam to spend 10 times what it has been shelling out annually on park infrastructure over the next 10 years.
Over the last decade, the city has spent $200,000 to $400,000 a year to replace aging non-sport field amenities, including picnic shelters, benches, fencing and other items.
In order to keep replacement costs sustainable, staff said $2 million to $4 million will be required annually, along with an additional $1.2 million each year for sport field replacement.
“At this moment, it looks like… there is a substantial gap,” said Raul Allueva, Coquitlam’s general manager of parks, culture and recreation. “The question is how we deal with this gap over time.”
Currently, replacement costs for park infrastructure have been allocated on an urgent priority basis, according to the report, funds Allueva said will need to be issued more sustainably.
Staff are currently conducting an inventory of all amenities but initial estimates show that the overall value of all park assets is approximately $110 million, with $40 million in artificial and natural grass fields and $70 million in other infrastructure. A grading system has also been set up to assess the physical condition of each piece.
Allueva noted that some of these numbers are preliminary and will likely change as staff refine their work. But he said that the initial analysis found that the $2 million to $4 million will be required over the next decade to replace aging infrastructure and a funding stream should continue beyond that time to cover eventual replacement costs.
“It is very important for us to think about this,” Allueva said, “not just in parks, recreation and culture but the entire city.”
Last month, the city announced what it called a “park blitz” initiative, allocating $2.5 million over the next three years for some much-needed playground improvements. Twelve parks were identified for funding, including: Cape Horn, Crestwood, Dawes Hill, Good Neighbour, Guilby, Lower Lougheed, Meadowbrook, Oakdale, Poirier, Ranch and Shiloh.
Most of the work consists of playground improvements, upgrades to sports courts, fencing and signage, with the money coming from the city’s infrastructure reserve.
@gmckennaTC
