Coquitlam’s Rochester Park will get a $4.3-million facelift.
On Monday, council approved the detailed design and budget for the 10-acre park, which will see the construction of new amenities and upgrades to the trail network.
New elements expected to be added to the park include a youth area with skateboard obstacles, a climbing structure and a zipline and tunnel slide, as well as play areas for children of all ages.
The final price tag is considerably higher than city’s early estimates. A main cost driver was the upgrade to the trail network, which was originally budgeted for $450,000 but jumped to $1 million when staff encountered challenging geotechnical conditions for construction.
Raul Allueva, the city’s general manager of parks, recreation and culture, initially scaled down some of the elements of the park to bring it within the initial budget range. But during a council meeting in September, staff were directed to put some of the amenities, including the zipline, back into the project.
Construction is expected to begin early in 2016 and more information will be posted to www.coquitlam.ca/parksplanning as work proceeds.
