City of Burlington Live and Play Plan - Draft Recommendations

Please consider box lacrosse in this item.

Yes please. Would help alleviate constraints on current available lit fields.

If partnering, make facilities available to all residents and/or users. Current indoor turf is almost exclusively reserved for one user group resulting in Burlington residents having to travel out of the City for indoor artificial turf use.

Please consider taking out ice from an aging arena and making the floor available year-round for lacrosse, ball hockey, pickleball, rentals, etc, etc, etc.

Is there enough data from current usage? There currently is not enough field time available for Minor Field Lacrosse.

If having a covered outdoor rink, make it available for box lacrosse when ice is out.

The city needs a sports complex with a minimum of 4 pads. Not only because the city doesn't have enough rinks for the demand for ice, but the one arena that has 4 pads (Appleby Recreation Centre), has been turned into a 3 pad rink because rink 4 is dedicated for figure skating. Which means only 3 pads can be used for Hockey and Ringette. This creates an issue for these sports when it comes to host tournaments. There are governing bodies that require events like provincials to be hosted at arena's that have a minimum of 4 ice pads (available), but because Appleby Rink 4 has been dedicated for figure shaking the city has turned a 4 pad complex into a complex with 3 usable pads. These tournaments bring in a large amount of revenue to the City directly and to businesses in the community (hotels, restaurants, shops, sites). Without a four pad we don’t have the opportunity to apply to host events like Provincials. For regular tournaments a 4 pad may not be required, but there are a lot of benefits to having everything in one place. 1) Teams prefer to attend tournaments where all games are hosted in the same location. 2) The host requires less volunteer tournament convenors as they only need to be located at one arena. 3) It makes it easier for the host to do fundraising as everyone in one location. Obviously, a new sports complex would be a long term plan. In the meantime the city should look at making all 4 rinks available to all ice users for Tournament purposes. I realize there had been a lot of customization to rink 4 for figure skating, but it was all the ice users that helped found Appleby to be built and should have access to a true 4 pad complex. Burlington is the only city in our area that doesn't have a 4 pad rinks available for these tournaments. Here is a list of sports complexes in cities in our area with 4 pad rinks. Oakville has Sixteen Mile Sports Complex Mississauga has Iceland Hamilton has Mohawk 4 Ice Centre Milton has Milton Sports Centre St. Catharines has Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre Niagara Falls has Gale Centre Arena Cambridge has Cambridge Sports Park Brantford has Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre Brampton has Susan Fennell Sportsplex The city should look at these other sports complexes and see all the additional features these sports complexes provide, like pools, libraries, running tracks, community rooms, restaurant/concession stands etc.

There are pros and cons to the universal changeroom concept. Based on the Angela Coughlan setup, they do require significantly more space to accommodate the same number of people. Individual change stalls require hallways, which use valuable space. The numbers of showers and toilets have to be reduced as a result. It might be better to use this design in new facilities where sufficient space can be allowed from the start, rather than retrofitting existing changerooms to lower the number of people they can accommodate.

Your “Live and Play” plan has a 20-30 year horizon. Your 2022-2026 “From Vision to Focus” document predicts a population of 265000 in 2051, 27 years from now. Our indoor pool capacity hasn’t changed since Tansley was built around 1996 when Burlington’s population was roughly half of what’s predicted for 2051. A plan to accommodate significant growth that consists of hopefully convincing the Y to build another pool is not adequate.

I’m afraid that I don’t see the need for such a drastic redo of the existing senior facility - but rather we need new hubs in other areas of Burlington As it is the programs fill quickly with waiting lists, so new locations should be considered. Aldershot area is in need. The new Bateman facility should be utilized and others in a more northern location ( yes, there are seniors in the newer homes!

I understand the need to monitor use for the future, however you should have been monitoring it for the last 10 years of immense growth! When families have to que in line to register their children into all programs - all sports, swim lessons, skating lessons and seniors are in the same boat - it’s already too late. You are playing catch up! I want to know what’s going to happen in the next 6 - 12 months?? Why wasn’t the Skyway revamped into a quad ice facility? With additional recreational facilities and a pool?

Why replace something that gets great use? Instead build another outdoor pool there for older swimmers, with some great slides and things! In fact this pool area is in such good use, consider something like this in the outdoor area of the reinvented Bateman Rec Centre!!

Rather than redoing the Senior Centre in Central Park, I think there are other areas that could be developed as other Senior Hubs - Aldershot area needs one, the area out towards the New Bateman centre could also host Senior programs and utilize the space with other community programs.

I would suggest arranging additional benches for caregivers to use in all parks, especially those connected to schools.

The lack of a dedicated north/south bicycle bridge or protected lane (e.g. Ottawa, Hamilton) over the QEW and awkward bicycle re-routing over the QEW is a big oversight. Hamilton has two overpasses, Electric bikes will make cycling more popular. Vehicles and aggressive drivers are becoming more dangerous to cyclists. How can a cyclist from the north safely and comfortably travel to the waterfront?

Thank you for supporting the volunteers at Tansley Woods Park by providing access to water from the nearby washroom to make it easier to build and maintain the excellent outdoor rink supported by dedicated volunteers. Bravo!!!

Due to repetitive noise from play and players, Pickleball court locations need to be carefully assessed to be sufficiently distant from residents. Noise abatement (trees for sound buffering). E.g. Huge mistake at Tansley Woods to have pickleball courts within 20 metres of a nearby yard and townhouse complex. Play occurs outside published hours with virtually no oversight or enforcement by the City.

Considering the large population of senior citizens that reside in Aldershot I strongly recommend that the city seriously consider a Seniors community Hub for the area.

Considering the large population of senior citizens that reside in Aldershot I strongly recommend that the city seriously consider a Seniors community Hub for the area.

Considering the large population of senior citizens that reside in Aldershot I strongly recommend that the city seriously consider a Seniors community Hub for the area.

Play structures need to incorporate sufficient levels of difficulty to keep children engaged. An excessive focus on safety takes the fun out of it. Monkey bars and climbing walls are what active children need.

It is important to ensure that facilities can be used for either softball or hardball to promote gender equality. As well, consideration should be given to opening diamonds earlier in the season. All neighbouring communities make diamonds available the last week of April. Burlington delays league play by making diamonds available the second week of May.

The City desperately needs a new quad-pad arena, not just a twin-pad. Ice users are constantly fighting for ice allocation. In particular, girls hockey is unable to grow to meet demand or achieve equality with boys hockey given the lack of available ice. As well, Burlington is unable to host large tournaments like Milton and Oakville are depriving ice users of revenue which can be used to lower costs for Burlington residents. Consideration should be given to potential sites north of the QEW such as City View park.

Where adding aquatics consider adding Sauna Areas as the benefits of Sauna to well being is scientifically proven to longevity

Padle Tennis would be a great racket sport addition to this incorporation

Padle Tennis Courts would be a great racket sport addition to this facility

Noise problem solved with indoor facilities plus makes facilities use all season the same applies for Padle Tennis

How to maximize utilization of amenities & activities to all seasons if possible & feasible

Partnerships are always a great path to have greater positive involvement & ownership from the community

Can Skate programs Fill Up fast & always fully booked

Should also consider introducing Self Defence Classes for all ages & genders such as Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling, Boxing, Kick Boxing etc...

Padle Tennis Courts are 2,500sq.ft enclosed space that will reactivate under utilized spaces

This is a great idea. Will be utilized and provide great benefits to the community

I would look into Temperature Controlled Pools so the community can prolong the use in LaSalle Park as a water themed prime location

Padle Tennis Courts addition Padle Tennis is the future wave of Racket Sports

Padle Tennis requires a floor to ceiling clearance of 26ft

Lovely Idea. I suggest looking into Building a Fit Republic Facility, a Mecca of all Indoor & Outdoor Sports for all seasons enjoyed by Burlington Community,

Adding Indoor Padle Tennis Courts Padle is a sport that is a combination of Pickle Tennis & Squash

To add Padle Tennis Courts

Build 2 more full sized baseball diamonds to fill existing demand. Work with current users to fund these for artificial turf.

The small diamonds at Brant Hills, Ireland and Millcroft are used by small diamond baseball teams or fastpitch, neither of age where lighted use is in demand. (kids have bedtimes)

Fences are too close at those fields for mounded age groups. 8U - 13U ages in Burlington use flat ground fields. 14U-30+ use mounds but would need further fences.

Work with existing providers in the private sector before spending money competing with local businesses.

The City desperately needs more arenas. Ice users are perpetually short of what they need, and unfortunately, as beautiful as it may turn out to be, one pad at Skyway is not going to change anything. The City could easily utilize 3 or 4 net new pads. Even an additional twin pad would fall short of the demand in this area. Burlington Skating Centre (Learn to skate, figure skating, power skating, Synchro skating, Adult and accessible programs) has been at capacity for years. We can't meet demand now, and we certainly can't grow as the City grows. There are so many more programs we could offer and groups and demographics in the city that we could reach if we had ice. This is a year-round struggle for us - it's not seasonal. And I know many girls and boys hockey, ringette, indoor lacrosse groups agree. The tournaments and competitions we could host if only we had usable space! This doesn't just impact ice users, but many community stakeholders. I believe our City is really missing an opportunity for large, beautiful, multi-use facility development by thinking too small and too short term with it's planning. Adding one pad at Skyway, which has taken nearly 5 years is a shame. Look at Wayne Gretzky Centre in Brantford - a gorgeous 4 pad plus aquatic, tracks, community space, constructed over many years and several phases. And they did it on an existing piece of land. No additional space procurement required. This is how it should be done. The arenas we do have are small, and have nearly no multi-use thought put into them. Yes, the ice gets thawed and the space used for other sports seasonally. But there is zero concessions, limited shower and community room space, no gyms, no walking tracks. We had to fight to get 2 vending machines! They are not community spaces - they are ice pads. As a city, we need to welcome thoughtful, bigger, more sophisticated development for our communities. We think too small and we have too much opposition in general to development based on principle alone. If we build it, users will come!

Please consider air quality for indoor walking tracks, esp. in arenas. link

Simple is best. Have you thought of simply setting up a network of people with skills who wish to share or trade their skills? It would be free, self-organizing, community-building, and local. Forget all the feasibility studies, surveys and data gathering. Just people helping people and doing what they love for others in exchange.

Consider QE Park (a former high school) in Oakville - it has been converted into a rec centre (gyms + climbing wall + pool and cultural centre (with many art studios) . Aldershot is a good location for this since this area does not offer any cultural community spaces.

Please don't populate LaSalle Park with too many festivals and events. It makes traffic too congested in this quiet neighbourhood, creates too much noise, and most importantly disturbs the natural wildlife in the area.