Five new playgrounds will be replaced around Prince George this summer, while Duchess Park will receive an accessibility upgrade, and a brand new, accessible park will be built at Heather Park | Courtesy City of PG

Construction crews are going to have a busy summer in Prince George. Five parks are scheduled to be replaced, one will receive upgrades, and one new park is coming to the city.

Duchess Park playground will be closed starting Thursday, June 14th, as crews work to install new fall protection at the park, making it accessible for wheelchair users. Improvements will replace the artificial grass turf with rubber protection made of recycled tires. The dog park, bike track, and tennis courts will remain open, while the playground is expected to reopen about the third week of July.

Five city parks are scheduled for replacement:

  • Sanderson;
  • Jackpine;
  • Quinson;
  • Starlane; and
  • Ridgeview

The City’s 2017 Playground Plan factored criteria including community feedback and playground conditions to assess each location’s viability for replacement. The five-year plan outlines a schedule to replace 25 of the city’s 66 playgrounds with equipment compliant with the Canadian Standards Association. No playgrounds are scheduled to be removed without replacement this year.

Lastly, Heather Park will be seeing a new playground thanks in large part to funding collected by the Heather Park Parent Advisory Council. The PAC raised about $115,000 to build the new, accessible facility at the park. Construction is set to begin later this summer.

All park and playground construction projects are expected to be completed before the 2018-19 fall school year.