2019 Annual Report

Annual Report 2019 43 Facilitate a High Quality of Life Provide quality parks and recreational opportunities. Comparison to other communities. Taxpayer feedback. The City of Chilliwack committed a goal in the Greenspace Plan of creating and sustaining the best quality of life for our community by expanding and maintaining a variety of excellent, high quality recreational opportunities in over 100 parks and on over 100km of trails. The City has achieved numerus goals as set out in the Greenspace Plan and the Trail Network Plan. These documents will continue to guide the vision for Chilliwack’s parks and trails in the coming decades in line with the City’s Official Community Plan. With the scheduled opening of the Vedder Rotary Loop Trail in the fall of 2019 this will complete a vision set in motion a few decades ago. Traveling from the new Vedder Crossing Bridge to the pedestrian crossing on the Keith Wilson Bridge, this loop trail boasts over 20km of non- interrupted non-motorized experience. With the main nodal points, amenities, facilities and the Vedder River this new loop is forecasted to remain the most popular recreation facility in the City if not the Region. Other upgrades included an additional 50 parking stalls at No. 3 Road parking area, rail line underpass improvements, trail upgrades, maps and wayfinding sign installation. Another popular trail destination is Mt Thom Park. This park has an extensive trail system which is now complete with the addition of the summit bypass trail. New urban trails /paths have been installed in a variety of parks to allow easier green commuting within neighborhoods. Park development in 2019 included two neighbourhood parks and the development of an existing City lot into interruptive areas and trails. The first neighbor park was the completion of the playground in Kensington Park with a main parkour structure, a sand play secondary structure, looping street play paths, picnic area and a sports court. The next neighbourhood park was developed in the downtown at the corner of Reece and Mellard. A once open grass City owned lot is now home to a full-service park with play value for all ages in a noted park deficient area. Finally, with the addition of Lexw Qwo:m Park Chilliwack residents have an additional 3.48 hectors of wooded park space and 700m of internal trails to explore. Within this park a visitor will find the remains of the water intake systems serving Chilliwack for decades. New large playgrounds were added to Kinsmen Park on Portage and the Landing Playground. Play structure equipment and other amenities were installed in Guinet Park, Higginson Park and Parker Park. Replaced the old curling rink building with a new curling and community centre facility that opened in late 2018. A new ice surface opened next to the Twin Rinks building in 2019. Enhance the connectivity between the City's recreational trail network and regional trails adjacent to City boundaries. Feedback from FVRD, taxpayers and trail user groups. City staff partake in a quarterly meeting with Regional land managers and shareholders to support and endorse continued communications on regional items. Regional trail strategic planning form part of the discussion where the City seeks opportunities to install or enhance existing regional trail connections.