This past year:
To put it mildly, 2024 has been a tumultuous year for the Bonnerworth Park Redevelopment project. Without getting into all the ugliness, what remains is this: the people of Peterborough unanimously support the skatepark expansion. So we’ve generally maintained a safe distance from the fray, keeping our heads down and focusing on the ultimate goal: creating a fantastic new space for skateboarders of all ages and abilities. Here’s a recap of our progress thus far:
Spring 2024: Consultation and engagement
Landscape Planning (main contractor) introduced us to Canadian Ramp Company (CRC) as the chosen designers of the skatepark. Two consultation sessions were held at the community centre and dozens of skateboarders showed up to meet the Project Leads and provide their input around the direction of the design.
Summer 2024: Design discussion
Canadian Ramp Company joined the Peterborough Skateboard Coalition online for an initial concept planning meeting. We defined our needs/wants and reviewed feedback collected in the community through various surveys.
Our defining principles for the new park became:
- No duplication of elements found in the existing park
- A flow that lends itself to lines;
- Obstacles are more accessible to skaters of all abilities
- More open / spacious
- A feature obstacle that uniquely reflects Peterborough
Subsequent meetings involved refining various concept illustrations and engaging in deep discussion. Once consensus was reached on a design concept that maximized our budget and best reflected our vision, the Peterborough Skateboard Coalition then gathered skaters together to review the concept drawing. A majority of skaters were pleased with the direction of the design, so we suggested a few more tweaks to CRC and continued to refine the concept drawing. To meet the deadlines of the next City of Peterborough public consultation phase, the drawing and dreaming phase came to and end and the most recent iteration was then presented to the Parks board along with a final draft of the overall Bonnerworth site plan showing the exact footprint of the new skatepark.
Fall 2024: Construction begins!
The Bonnerworth Redevelopment Project continues to move forward at a timely pace. Excavation has begun on site, including the removal of the tennis courts. All that remains is the existing skatepark, and you can still skate it. The skatepark and the BMX track won’t expect to see any construction until well into 2025, but it’s exciting to see things moving along.
Next steps: Final design drawings and selecting builders
The City of Peterborough has completed a prequalification process and now have a list of companies whose bids qualified and are eligible to finish the skatepark expansion. More work needs to be done to refine the concept drawing, and we look forward to sharing any further drawings with you as they become available. For now, we’ve asked the City to continue to inform us when they are ready to move on the next steps.
Key Links:
Bonnerworth Park Draft Plan
See the most recent copy of the draft site plan, check-in on the Current Status of the project, review the various surveys and studies, and connect with the City of Peterborough Parks and Recreation Project Manager