Paradise unveils details of $11.4M park makeover

By Mark Squibb

The Town of Paradise unveiled the draft design for a new and improved Paradise Park at a public information session led by Mills & Wright at the Double Ice Complex last week.

The fully upgraded park will boast an ice-skating loop, mountain bike trails, new dog park, skate park, sensory trail, additional parking, multi-sport court, additional playground equipment, a barbecue area, and more.

The skating loop, which Mills & Wright representatives said was the number one requested amenity, will be similar to the famous Bannerman Park Loop in St. John’s, but will actually be longer and wider.

“We had spoken to City of St. John’s staff about lessons learned from the Loop, and those were two suggestions, that they would make it a bit wider and a bit longer, because it can get a bit congested and crowded,” said Rachel Fitkowski of Mills & Wright. “So, we’ve taken those lessons learned and applied it to this design.”

Based on feedback, staff at Mills & Wright determined there were a number of things that could be improved in the park.

Folks complained the existing splash pad and playground caters to younger children and the park lacks basic amenities such as benches and greenery. More importantly, many residents expressed concern with the placement of the parking lot near the splash pad.

To that end, Fitkowski said the existing parking lot, which can accommodate upwards of about 50 vehicles, will be removed entirely, and parking delegated to the Double Ice Complex parking lot. The parking lot at the top of the sliding hill will also be expanded. Additionally, there will be some handicap parking spaces installed near the bandstand.

Furthermore, the plan recommends the use of ‘flexible infrastructure’ over single use infrastructure’ to provide more recreation opportunities. Fitkowski noted the temporary baseball fields erected during the summer as a good example of flexible infrastructure.

“Recreation trends and the desire of residents may change over time, and the design of Paradise Park needs to navigate this potential for change and consider how the space can be used as those desires change,” said Fitkowski.

Mills & Wright have proposed a five-phased approach to completing the upgrades, although Fitkowski noted the Town is free to develop it as it sees fit, especially as funding for certain projects is made available.

Phase one would include the dog park, skate park, multi-court and game place, sliding hill parking and plaza.

Phase two would include the sensory trail, mountain bike trails, playground, and picnic area.

Phase three would include the skating loop and ice maintenance building, a plaza, new drop-off zone and accessible parking spaces.

Phase four would include the sliding hill staircase, walkway upgrades and landscaping upgrades.

Phase five would include the Tely 10 Plaza marking the original Tely 10 start line just across McNamara Road and additional landscaping around the Double Ice Complex.

Fitkowski said the phased approach is strategic in that it puts some high-interest items, such as the dog park, upfront.

“Those are all things that don’t require a ton of planning and they’re not the most expensive thing on the page,” said Fitkowski. “It’s a bit strategic to build things at the start to get people invested, like the dog parks, the multicourt, the games area… Hopefully you get some support and buy-in from residents and that can help with prioritising and budgeting and funding.”

Safety considerations will be given to the intersection of the dog park trail and T ‘railway , including signage. A detailed design of the trail could be fleshed out at a later stage. Given the potential for increased traffic along the T’railway, Fitkowski said there could be consideration given to widening it, however the Town would need permission from the provincial government to do so.

Paradise Running Club President Mark Ivany, one of the half-dozen residents in attendance, said that while most ATV and dirt bike operators are considerate, some are not.

“Most people are considerate, but some people do just want to show off, so it’s a bit concerning if you’re having that in an area where there’s kids,” said Ivany, who frequently runs the T’railway, along with other members of the running club. “That could potentially be an issue.”

Fitkowski said an early idea to incorporate the T’railway into the park was scrapped for that very reason.

“I would like to hope that as these amenities are developed over time that, especially if it’s residents using the T’railway, that they’re really going to respect these amenities and respect other users,” added Fitkowski. “I do think there is enough separation between (the T’railway) and where, for example, the playground and skate park are. And there’s actually a ditch there, so there’s a pretty good separation between spaces.”

Matthew Mills added there are design strategies that can help curb safety concerns, and some of those strategies were implemented by Mills &Wright in the recent redesign of the boardwalk and festival grounds in Holyrood.

“What we’re seeing in Holyrood as well is that now that the Town has invested some money in updated public spaces, you are seeing a change in the behaviour of ATV riders,” said Mills. “They’re being a little bit more cautious and aware.”

Meanwhile, Mills & Wright determined early in the design stage that Paradise Park would not be a suitable place for a new swimming pool. The Town has budgeted money for a feasibility study for a swimming pool and hopes to complete the study this year.

Topsail-Paradise MHA Paul Dinn asked about making a marketplace along Sarah Davis Way. Fitkowski said a temporary farmers market is something that could be set up along the roadside or within the park.

Mark Didham, also of the Paradise Running Club, indicated support for what he was seeing. Didham helps organize the Paradise Backyard Ultra, an endurance marathon where participants run a set course once an hour every hour until they decide to drop out. Last year’s inaugural race, held at Paradise Park, saw 134 participants run a total of 8,213 kilometres. This year’s event will also be held at Paradise Park.

“The park is a prime centerpiece for the town, but admittedly, the way it is now, is very bland, and it’s very much a big grassy field surrounded by warehouses and industrial buildings, so I really, really, like what they showed at the session,” said Didham. “I love that their approach to make the area more sheltered was to try to add more trees. It should make the area look a little nicer and a little less industrial.”

Didham said additional trails and the multi-purpose courts will be a great benefit to the park, and his only concerns with the proposed design is that it may one day fall to the wayside.

“My biggest worry is that we have an election year coming up, so what will the new council envision?” said Didham. “So, if there is not a significant carry over of councillors who are involved in this plan, I do worry about the viability of the overall plan in the future. The new council could scrap it or bring it back to the drawing board.”

To that end, Mills said if money was no issue and shovels could go into the ground tomorrow, the project could be completed within a couple of years. However, due to the high cost of the project, the plan could actually take upwards of 15 years – or more— to complete.

“It really goes back to the will and want and drive of council to get this implemented, and to allocate money, and seek out funding,” said Mills. “If you have an invested council and an invested staff like you do here in Paradise, you can make things happen.”

Fitkowski said the plan will require “organised effort, dedicated champions, and further investment,” to come to fruition, and the plan is just that— a plan— and is subject to change.

Fitkowski allowed change isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“I actually think, realistically, it’s great if these plans change a little bit over time, because it means the Town is using it,” said Fitkowski. “We never want one of our reports to be put on a shelf.”

The beach volleyball courts already commissioned by the Town ahead of the 2025 Canada Summer Games were taken into account by Mills& Wright when redesigning the park. The Town made headlines when it was reported that council had purchased $360,000 worth of sport grade sand for the volleyball courts. Council commissioned the actual construction of the court at $400,000.

The park currently boasts a playground, splash pad, volleyball court, bandstand, and dog park, while the adjacent hill proves a popular sledding hill during the winter months.

Following a review of public feedback, Mills & Wright will once again meet with council. Once council is satisfied with the report, it will be adopted in a public meeting.

The complete 80-page repot will be made available on the Town’s website.