Construction has begun on a new spray park and other improvements to Castle Park that will be ready for use this summer.

Set to open in early August, the project will add a new 375-square-metre (4,000-square-foot) spray park to one of Port Coquitlam’s largest parks, located in Citadel Heights and serving the south side of the city. It will be the community’s third spray park, in addition to those at Sun Valley Park on the north side and Lions Park near the downtown.

“I’m excited to see construction starting on the spray park – a much-needed addition to the park services we offer families,” Mayor Brad West said. “Families throughout south and central Port Coquitlam will now have another option for some great summer fun that is free and close to home.”

The new spray park will be installed near the washroom building on the north side of the 11-hectare (27-acre) park. Work began in early May with the city’s installation of a water service connection, to be followed by site preparation and construction by contractor Habitat Systems.

The spray pad will have two connected but distinct sections, with Aquatix-brand water play elements suited to children ages two to five, and to those ages five to 12.

For the older children, features will include a towering VersaSplash that unexpectedly dumps buckets of water, and a flexible SprayVine that allows children to direct streams of water at each other. Younger children will enjoy smaller-scale toys such as the Tot Water Post and Tot Shower Dome, both with different waterfall-style effects.

To conserve water, the systems will be equipped with low-flow features and sprayers, timers, and on/off buttons. Several new benches will also be added, along with new trees to be planted this fall.

The site will be fenced off during construction, and the work will not affect the public use of other park features, which include a new playground, picnic tables, walking trails, large open spaces and scenic views of the Fraser River.

No construction will take place on July 1, when Castle Park will once again host the city’s main Canada Day event, starting at noon and ending with fireworks at dusk. 

“Our Parks, Recreation and Culture Plan identified the need for a new splash park in the south-central part of the city,” noted Cllr. Glenn Pollock, Council’s designate for parks matters. “This will be a great complement to what we already offer at Castle Park, making it even more of a destination.”

The $375,000 project was part of the 2019 capital budget and will be funded through the capital reserve account and development fees.

More information and drawings are posted at www.portcoquitlam.ca/castlepark.

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Pardeep Purewal
Manager of Communications & Admin Services
City of Port Coquitlam
Tel 604.927.5335 Cel 604.218.0533
Email purewalp@portcoquitlam.ca