Parksville Community Park Improvements
Parksville Community Park infrastructure improvements and upgrade projects received $655,000 in support from the Canada Community-Building Fund Community Works Fund. Funds were allocated to roads and sidewalks upgrades ($235,000), accessible trails and pathways ($200,000), park equipment and furniture ($100,000), resurfacing of the tennis/pickleball courts ($90,000), and refurbishment of the skateboard park ($30,000).
Major improvements and upgrades to amenities in the Parksville Community Park are now complete. We listened to concerns from park users who will now be better served with a new washroom building, improved accessible connections throughout the park, upgraded sports courts, new fencing and viewing platforms at the sand volleyball courts, a new gathering space, and improved drop off areas.
In 2023, the Parksville Community Park, turned 100 years. Purchased in 1923 by the Parksville Women’s Institute from Joe Hirst for $3,500, the Parksville Community Park is home to many events hosted by community groups and organizations and welcomes thousands of visitors to the park and Parksville Bay beach each year.
Completed Projects
Gathering Plaza
Lions Ventureland Playground
Parksville Outdoor Theatre
Pedestrian and Vehicle Connections
Skatepark
Volleyball Events Area
Washroom Building
Ongoing Project
Stormwater Management
City parks support the health of our community and contribute to the economic and environmental well-being of our City. For information about City parks and our beaches and open spaces, refer to our website(External link).
Parksville Community Park infrastructure improvements and upgrade projects received $655,000 in support from the Canada Community-Building Fund Community Works Fund. Funds were allocated to roads and sidewalks upgrades ($235,000), accessible trails and pathways ($200,000), park equipment and furniture ($100,000), resurfacing of the tennis/pickleball courts ($90,000), and refurbishment of the skateboard park ($30,000).
Major improvements and upgrades to amenities in the Parksville Community Park are now complete. We listened to concerns from park users who will now be better served with a new washroom building, improved accessible connections throughout the park, upgraded sports courts, new fencing and viewing platforms at the sand volleyball courts, a new gathering space, and improved drop off areas.
In 2023, the Parksville Community Park, turned 100 years. Purchased in 1923 by the Parksville Women’s Institute from Joe Hirst for $3,500, the Parksville Community Park is home to many events hosted by community groups and organizations and welcomes thousands of visitors to the park and Parksville Bay beach each year.
Completed Projects
Gathering Plaza
Lions Ventureland Playground
Parksville Outdoor Theatre
Pedestrian and Vehicle Connections
Skatepark
Volleyball Events Area
Washroom Building
Ongoing Project
Stormwater Management
City parks support the health of our community and contribute to the economic and environmental well-being of our City. For information about City parks and our beaches and open spaces, refer to our website(External link).
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Food Truck Vendors in Parksville Community Park
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On April 30, 2024, the Parksville and District Chamber of Commerce submitted a request to amend the licence of occupation agreement to permit an additional daily food truck to be located in the new gathering plaza in the Parksville Community Park for the summer season. Council released its decision on this request at the meeting held on Wednesday, May 22 which is to maintain the current terms and conditions of the agreement.
Parksville Council has worked with the Parksville Chamber for the past eight years to provide food truck service from an existing pad located near the splash park which allows up to three trucks to operate from the pad daily, from May to September. The actual number of food trucks depends on their size and is coordinated by the Parksville Chamber as the licence holder.
The newly opened gathering plaza is not intended to be a commercialized space; however, food trucks may be permitted in this area when a special event is taking place. The gathering plaza is equipped with electric and water connections to facilitate trucks in the area without the need for generators.
The City has invested significant time and money to create an aesthetically pleasing, peaceful space for all to enjoy. This summer, Council wishes to see how people will organically use this area, gathering to spend time with friends, bring a picnic meal or snacks to share, or simply relax while enjoying ocean views. Council has received feedback from community members that adding another daily food truck in this location may make people feel less comfortable bringing their own snacks or occupying the seating, which may be perceived as being reserved for ‘paying customers’ of the food truck.
Many year-round businesses in the downtown core offer dine in food services and some offer pre-packaged picnic meals to go. Adding more food trucks in the Parksville Community Park may have negative impacts on our restaurants, cafes and food retailers, and Council did not feel there was sufficient time to engage with the community to discuss the potential implications of changing the licence terms.
In the fall, City staff will publish a survey which will provide an opportunity for the community to share how they enjoyed the new gathering plaza this summer and offer their suggestions for future consideration by Council.
For more information:
Deb Tardiff, Manager of Communications
communications@pakrsville.ca;(External link) 250 954-3073 -
Summer in the City
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Parksville is the perfect place to visit in the summer (and other times of the year of course) and this summer promises to be busy with many activities for residents and visitors. Planning is well underway for this year's events and festivals, some new and some beloved summer traditions.
The City is excited to announce the upgrades in the Parksville Community Park are now complete with just a few finishing touches to come. We listened to concerns from park users about improved accessibility, the need for a new washroom facility, and expanded opportunities for unprogrammed public spaces. With major construction happening in the park last summer, we know the experience was not ideal and we sincerely thank everyone for their patience and flexibility. While we were able to host many large events last summer, community events in the Parksville Community Park will be better served this year with the new washroom facility, improved accessible connections throughout the park, upgraded sports courts, new fencing and viewing platforms at the sand volleyball courts, a beautiful new gathering space and improved drop off areas.
In 2023, the City managed 700 event bookings; currently, more than 400 events are already booked at City-owned locations or on City streets. Areas of the City available for events include the Parksville Community Park, Springwood Park, Foster Park, Memorial Plaza as well as many pocket parks and City green spaces. The City provides these spaces at no cost to special events organizers and residents. Many municipalities charge fees for the use of public facilities to defray the associated costs, including increased maintenance such as additional washroom cleaning, litter pickup, refuse removal, and the staff time required to coordinate and schedule events. These costs are an "in kind" donation by the City to an event. In addition, Council provides direct support through grants-in-aid to many not-for-profit groups that contribute to our City’s culture and vibrancy.
We appreciate the hard work of groups and organizations who host community events, many of which are supported by volunteers. Several large-scale events planned this year include Canada Day celebrations, Parksville Beach Festival and Quality Foods Sandcastle Competition and Exhibition, Parkville Community Car Show, Seaside Cruizer events, Quality Foods fireworks and children’s sandcastle event, Summer by the Sea Street Market, and events at the Parksville Outdoor Theatre such as Rock the Park, Tim Hortons summer concerts, Parksville Beer Festival, Completely Creedence and Trooper concerts, theatre performances, and Symphony by the Sea.
Staff work hard to ensure events on public properties are safe and pleasant for all attendees. Our thanks go out to the event organizers who go above and beyond to meet and exceed the City’s special event terms and conditions. We look forward to hearing about your Summer in the City experiences; have your say and share ideas on Let’s Talk Parksville!
For more information:
Deb Tardiff, Manager of Communications
communications@parksville.ca;(External link) 250 954-3087 -
Parksville Community Park – Sandcastle Drive Closure
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Between Tuesday, September 5 and October 3, Sandcastle Drive in the Parksville Community Park will be closed to all vehicle traffic. This second closure, requested by the contractor, will facilitate construction of the new gathering plaza.
Regular vehicle access to Sandcastle Drive will be closed at Salish Sea Drive. Sandcastle Drive along to Arbutus Point will be open to pedestrians and bicycles. Additional accessible parking is available near the Lions Ventureland Playground on Salish Sea Drive. Vehicle parking in the gravel lots near the sports fields and behind the curling rink will be open for public use.
Signage will be posted at the entrance and throughout the park.
The City sincerely understands and apologizes for the disruption to residents and visitors who will use the park during this time. Please refer to Let’s Talk Parksville for information about the many planned improvements to the Parksville Community Park.
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Parksville Welcomes Visitors to BeachFest
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One of the most exciting summer festivals in the Parksville Community Park each year is the five-week Quality Foods Sand Sculpting Competition and Exhibition and the Parksville Beach Festival events which complement the exhibition. The event opens to the public on Friday, July 14 at 2 pm and events and activities are scheduled through August 20. We look forward welcoming the thousands of visitors to the park for festivities.
Planned construction of several upgrade projects in the Parksville Community Park are either completed or well underway with completion of all projects expected by year end. The Parksville Outdoor Theatre was completed in July 2022, surfacing and play equipment upgrades to Lions Ventureland Playground and the resurfacing of the racquet courts to accommodate pickleball and tennis were completed earlier this year. Yet to come is completion of the new gathering plaza, accessibility upgrades and a new washroom facility.
The City of Parksville and Parksville Beach Festival are working together to accommodate the world class sand sculpting exhibition and special events during construction of the gathering plaza. Because visitor experience and safety are important to both Parksville Beach Festival and the City, work underway at the gathering plaza will be reduced to help ensure an enjoyable visit to the park. Once again, we thank residents and park visitors for their patience and understanding during construction.
Most of the park including such areas as the sports fields, Lions Ventureland Playground, waterfront walkway and beach area are accessible to the public. During the five weeks of Parksville Beach Festival, there will be no road closures in the park, washrooms near the festival site are open to the public, additional accessible parking spots are available near the playground, and until further notice, food trucks will be located along Sandcastle Drive towards Arbutus Point.
The community event scheduled for September 16 to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Parksville Community Park will be postponed until spring 2024.
Please refer to Let’s Talk Parksville for information about the City’s improvements to amenities in the Parksville Community Park.
For more information:
Deb Tardiff, Manager of Communications
250 954-3073; communications@parksville.ca(External link) -
Parksville Community Park Improvements - Update
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At the July 5 meeting, Council approved the contract award to Milestone Contracting for construction of the new washroom building and accessibility improvements in the Parksville Community Park. The contract award was for $1.450 million with $600,000 allocated from the Growing Communities Fund Reserve.
Demand for additional and accessible washroom facilities continues to increase as more residents and tourists visit the Parksville Community Park and from increased attendance at community events and festivals hosted in the park as well as new amenities including the Parksville Outdoor Theatre, gathering plaza, and popular accessible Lions Ventureland Playground.
The accessibility improvements will enhance safety and pedestrian movement to and from the sand courts, playground and gravel parking area, and construct new outdoor showers and a multi-vehicle pullout for drop-off purposes. Combining the relocated washroom building and site improvements into a single project is logical due to shared location in the park. This project also provides an opportunity to extend accessible connectivity from the large gravel parking area to the new gathering plaza, existing washrooms near the playground, waterfront walkway, and to the arboretum and racquet courts through to the new outdoor theatre.
The washroom and accessibility improvements project is a combination of Council approved projects which support goals to build a new accessible washroom building, increase park safety and accessibility, enhance pedestrian circulation, and build better connections to amenities in the park. These elements were identified as action items in the Community Park Master Plan (2017) and support the Parks, Trails and Open Spaces Master Plan (2018).
In February, the City of Parksville received $4.789 million from the new Growing Communities Fund. This funding provided one-time assistance to local governments across British Columbia for projects which support community growth. The funding amounts were determined by the population size and growth of each of the 188 municipalities and regional districts receiving the funds.
Please refer to Let’s Talk Parksville for information about the many improvements to the Parksville Community Park.
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Parksville Community Park Construction Update
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The City has been working with contractor, Milestone Equipment Contracting, to establish a firm schedule for necessary road closures as part of the gathering plaza project in the Parksville Community Park. To achieve this work, project construction will require two temporary closures of road access to Sandcastle Drive to vehicles this summer. Signage will be posted at the entrance and throughout the park.
The first closure will begin on Monday, June 19 through Monday, July 3 with regular vehicle access to Sandcastle Drive closed at Salish Sea Drive. Sandcastle Drive along to Arbutus Point will be open to pedestrians and bicycles. Additional accessible parking will be available near the Lions Ventureland Playground on Salish Sea Drive. Vehicle parking in the gravel lots near the sports fields and behind the curling rink will be open for public use.
This planned construction schedule ensures Sandcastle Drive will be open for this summer’s popular Parksville Beach Festival and Quality Foods Sand Sculpting Competition and Exhibition to be held July 13 to August 20. Sandcastle Drive will close again on August 23 to accommodate project completion. As with previous years to facilitate Canada Day celebrations and activities, the Parksville Community Park will be closed to all vehicles.
The City sincerely understands and apologizes for the disruption to residents and visitors who will use the park during this time. Please refer to Let’s Talk Parksville for information about the many planned improvements to the Parksville Community Park.
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Improvements to Washroom Facilities in Parksville Community Park
Share Improvements to Washroom Facilities in Parksville Community Park on Facebook Share Improvements to Washroom Facilities in Parksville Community Park on Twitter Share Improvements to Washroom Facilities in Parksville Community Park on Linkedin Email Improvements to Washroom Facilities in Parksville Community Park linkThe City recognizes that over the extremely busy weekend just past, the service in the public washrooms in the Parksville Community Park did not meet capacity. Due to construction of the gathering plaza, the washroom building near the gazebo is closed and although we brought in additional portable toilets, these facilities were not able to keep up with demand. Ongoing vandalism to the washrooms is also of concern to the City.
Significant improvements to the current situation are being made prior to the upcoming long weekend which we hope will address concerns expressed by park users:
- Four additional portable toilets will be added making a total of 18 portables. Eight near the playground, four at the north side of the gathering plaza project, two at Arbutus Point, and four south of the playground. The KinHut washroom near the sports field is also open to the public.
- Three handwashing stations will accompany each pod of four portable toilets with two on the south side of the playground and one at the north side of the construction. City staff will ensure there is water.
- An increase in the cleaning service on all portable toilets by our contractor with service on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. City staff will monitor, clean and add toilet paper when required.
The gathering plaza project, along with other significant improvements will make the park more enjoyable for users, improving safety and accessibility while addressing the need for multiuse facilities. We sincerely apologize for the disruptions experienced by park visitors as the improvements throughout the park are completed over the next few months.
Let’s Talk Parksville and the City’s website(External link) will continue to provide updated timelines and details.
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Parksville Community Park Improvements Continue
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Work on our many upgrade projects in the Parksville Community Park which began in March are now well underway including the construction of the new gathering plaza.
Areas of the park adjacent the gathering plaza project are unfortunately affected by construction. The washrooms near the gazebo remain closed and the splash park which would typically open this weekend will also remain closed until further notice. We are working with the contractor to do our best to see the splash park open as soon as possible but, in the meantime, nature’s splash park, the Parksville beach is always open!
Visitors to the park should expect significant disruptions over the next three months. We appreciate the patience of park users as we work to complete the planned projects which also include sports court resurfacing to start next week, a new washroom building and improvements to the volleyball events area, skatepark and pedestrian and vehicle connections throughout the 100-year-old Parksville Community Park. Additional portable washrooms are available throughout the park and visitors should expect intermittent closures to Sandcastle Drive. The gravel lot behind the curling club is open for public use.
The gathering plaza project will transform a central area in the heart of the park into a new vibrant space for visitors to gather, engage and celebrate. The gathering plaza project, along with other significant improvements, will make the park more enjoyable for users, improving safety and accessibility while addressing the need for multiuse facilities.
This image showing construction progress was captured on May 2.
For more information:
Deb Tardiff, Manager of Communications
communications@parksville.ca;(External link) 250 954-3073 -
Check out this awesome video of the recently resurfaced area in the Lions Ventureland Playground. Pretty cool perspective and process!
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Work on new gathering plaza has begun!
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Follow Project
Timelines
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2022
Parksville Community Park Improvements has finished this stageCOMPLETED PROJECT
Parksville Outdoor Theatre -
2023
Parksville Community Park Improvements has finished this stageCOMPLETED UPGRADES
Lions Ventureland Playground
Sports court resurfacing
Skatepark repairs -
2024
Parksville Community Park Improvements is currently at this stageCOMPLETED PROJECTS
Gathering Plaza
Washroom building
Volleyball area
Pedestrian and vehicle connectionsUNDERWAY
Stormwater management
Documents
- Council Report - Contract Award, Parksville Community Park Washroom and Accessibility Improvements (July 5, 2023)
- Council Report - Contract Award, Gathering Plaza and Incidental Works (February 22, 2023)
- Council Report - Contract Award, Parksville Community Park Playground Surfacing ( January 16, 2023)
- Community Park Master Plan
- Council Report - Consideration of a Development Permit (December 14, 2022)
- Council Report - Bequeathed Park Funds (November 14, 2022)
- Council Report - Grant Application for Parksville Outdoor Theatre (April 29, 2019)
- Council Report - Community Park Master Plan Implementation Strategy (September 6, 2018)