What We Heard from the Survey

Sunnybrae is a park that is enjoyed by residents, but also acts as a destination for tourists. Most people want to use the playground monthly (39.1 per cent), weekly (34.8 per cent) or several times a week (23.9 per cent). More tourists responded to this survey than any of the other parks.

Active Play is the top priority for new equipment, which is defined as any form of unstructured, child-led physical activity that gets children moving, breathing harder, and having fun. In second place was, risk-taking and challenges. This is defined as activity that involves uncertainty, physical challenge, and building resilience. It focuses on mastering skills, such as climbing high or moving fast.

The survey showed the top five priorities for play activities were:
• Swinging
• Climbing
• Sliding
• Tower Structure
• Balancing

Preferred colours are Natural and Earthy (56.5 per cent), followed by Natural and Vibrant (32.6 per cent. Preferred theme is Natural, Forest, Animals (62.2 per cent) or no theme. (22 per cent).

Other themes:

A clear priority is making the park more comfortable and functional for caregivers:
• Repeated requests for benches and picnic tables near the playground.
• Desire for seating close enough to supervise children safely.
• Ongoing emphasis on shade structures for hot summer days.

Residents are calling for expanded and more inclusive play options:
• Strong demand for more swings, including enough capacity (multiple sets) and options for all ages.
• Feedback that current equipment does not adequately serve older children, with many losing interest by age 7.
• Continued need for equipment suitable for toddlers and younger children alongside older-age features.
• Calls for improved accessibility, including ramps/mats for people with disabilities.

Now we will look at incorporating your input into a playground design. Remember, there's not an unlimited budget. So we look to make the choices that best reflects the wishes of park users and offer the most value.

Current playground equipment
The playground at Sunnybrae Community Park features two separate play structures for multi-age play.

There's a number of features aimed at children ages 2-5 years:

• 2 ridged climbers
• 1 flexible rope climber
• Double slide

Features aimed at children aged 5-12 years include:

• Multi-platform structure
• Slide
• Flexible rope climber
• Flexible ladder
• Ridged ladder
• Loungers
• Table surface under structure

Stay tuned for more information about the design and installation of the new equipment!