Demolition began this morning on the EnviroPark playground structures at Sunset Point, the latest step toward a park overhaul in the area.
On or about May 2022, the town will be officially opening a new park in that spot with multiple play spaces for different types of play, all of which is accessible for children and youth of various ages and abilities.
The plans for the new park include several play structures that will be geared toward different age ranges, including a lighthouse, a ship on the bay, a wetland, a town village, discovery beach (big sandbox with 'fossils to uncover') and a parkour climbing course with a zipline.
In the forest toward the west end of the park will be a boardwalk with a firefly forest. The ‘firefly’ effect is a canopy of lights that will respond to the sounds that kids yell into two megaphones on the ground.
Between the youth and tot play spaces will be a shaded social hub with picnic tables and USB charging stations where parents can clearly see both play areas.
There will also be a sensory garden separating the two spots with different elevations allowing people in wheelchairs to interact with the garden as well.
You can read more details and see drawings of the proposed park here.
The now-demolished structures were built in 1993 as part of the town’s effort to rehabilitate the water in the harbour and inspire future generations to be good stewards of water.
Accessibility and safety standards have since changed and the playground structures (mostly wood and concrete) have decayed over the last 30 years.
In 2019, the Town of Collingwood’s Parks, Recreation, and Culture Department started working on developing a new playground facility to replace EnviroPark at Sunset Point Park.
Previously, town staff expected to have the new features complete by Thanksgiving this year, but construction and COVID-related delays have pushed the completion date to May 2022.
