Improving local parks and play spaces – for you!
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Enhancements, repairs and new developments coming to greenspaces across Vaughan
Get ready to run, play, splash, swing and slide at a revitalized local park or playground this summer! The City’s Parks Infrastructure Planning and Development department continues to expand and make improvements to parks, playgrounds, sports fields, sports courts, splashpads, walking paths and more to create welcoming outdoor zones that safely bring the community together, foster physical activity and offer citizens an opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors.
Below are highlights of some City parks that have been recently enhanced or are currently undergoing improvements:
WARD 1
Playground improvements, such as new accessible safety surfacing and ramp access, are now complete at Reeves Park (251 Barrhill Rd.). A new chain link soccer field back-stop fence is now installed at Woodgate Pines Park (60 Woodgate Pines Dr.). The new playground at Summit Park (209 Kleinburg Summit Way) will soon open for summer use. In addition, planning is now underway for playground enhancements at Ramsey Armitage Park (8 Merino Rd.), with construction anticipated to begin this fall.
WARD 2
New basketball and tennis courts are now open at Napa Valley Park (80 Napa Valley Ave.). Kiloran Park (300 Wycliffe Ave.) now features new sports courts and a swing set for outdoor play. The multi-use pathway at Doctors Mclean Park (8100 Islington Ave.), connecting Islington Avenue to the picnic shelter, is now complete and open.
WARD 3
Construction continues at Cannes Park (100 Cannes Ave.). Once complete this fall, the new park will feature children’s playgrounds, a gazebo, tennis courts, pathways and views of nearby valleys. In addition, landscape improvements, such as tree planting, signage, benches, seeding and sodding, are coming to the Lawford-Cannes Greenway this summer. This is a linear park system located northwest of Major Mackenzie Drive and Weston Road, between Cannes Avenue, Poetry Drive, Headwind Boulevard, Ironside Drive and Lawford Park.
WARD 4
Designing the playground improvements at West Crossroads Park (170 Yellowood Cir.) continues. With construction anticipated to begin this fall and wrap up by summer 2022, this park will include a full replacement of playground equipment and new accessible safety surfacing. In addition, construction progresses at the North Thornhill District Park (300 Pleasant Ridge Ave.), with rubberized tile surfacing at both the playground and swing areas now replaced. Improvements began in late June and the park is expected to reopen before the August long weekend. Other park amenities, such as the splashpad, walking path and tennis courts, remain open during the work.
WARD 5
Construction is complete at Wade Gate Park (151 Wade Gate) with new playground equipment, tennis courts and a basketball court now open for play. King High Park (201 King High Dr.) now features a new pedestrian bridge available for use. Playground reconstruction continues at Oakhurst Park (70 Oakhurst Drive) and is expected to be complete before the end of July. The revitalization of Glen Shields Park (140 Glen Shields Ave.) is underway. Once complete, the park will feature a new water play area, tennis courts, basketball court, junior playground area and improved pathways and lighting.
These local park projects add to the growing list of outdoor greenspaces the City has created and enhanced for citizens to enjoy when deemed safe to do so. They also further align with Vaughan’s commitment to fostering active, safe and diverse communities that are environmentally sustainable and inclusive, as outlined in the 2018-2022 Term of Council Service Excellence Strategic Plan.
As provincial COVID-19 measures remain in place, the City’s priority continues to be the health and safety of residents. If using permitted outdoor recreational amenities, residents must follow the below York Region Public Health safety directives:
- Practise physical distancing with anyone outside of your household by staying two metres away from everyone else.
- Wear a face mask or covering when inside public places and when physical distancing cannot be maintained.
- Wash your hands thoroughly and often and avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
- Practice respiratory etiquette.
- Clean high-touch surfaces often.
- Get vaccinated as soon as you are eligible to receive a vaccine.
- Download the COVID-Alert app.
- Monitor yourself for symptoms of COVID-19 and seek assessment and testing if necessary.
Wash your hands with soap and water and use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer before and after visiting parks – playgrounds and splashpads are not sanitized.
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