Whistler's popular Rainbow Park is on track for an end-of-June opening, council heard this week, though work will continue into the fall.
In a “top of the peaks” update at the June 11 committee of the whole, manager of parks and planning Martin Pardoe gave a rundown on 12 projects currently on the parks and planning department's agenda.
Pardoe began with the project closest to the cutting of red ribbons: Rainbow Park, which is around the corner but not quite wrapped up.
“It’s on schedule to open at the end of June, [but] there’s some work that will continue through to the autumn,” he said.
The project has been on the go since 2022, with the main construction efforts carried out in 2023 while this year has been for finishing touches.
Though the park will mostly be open for public uses, Pardoe said work in the fall will pertain to the food-truck area, at the railway crossing and around the washroom, though the facilities will still be usable.
The Rainbow Park project is fully-funded by Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) funds from the province.
Of note, Pardoe added there “are no further Valley Trail closures at Rainbow Park.”
“We’re very pleased with how it’s all coming together,” he said.
Also on the agenda was Lakeside Park, which Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) crews have been working on since last fall to improve drainage and replace failing trees, which are to be replaced with more durable and climate-resistant ones.
While Lakeside Park is coming along, Pardoe added the grass growing there has work to do, too, and locals can help with that.
“We know everybody wants to get out on the lawn—it takes the right growing conditions which we haven’t had in the last week, but things are looking good, but [we] ask people to respect the construction fences and closures,” he said.
Meanwhile, Meadow Park is in pre-construction, as explained by Pardoe, who said the RMOW intends to replace the splashpad and playground as they are at the end of their lifespan and no longer fit for use due to new public-health and safety standards, and lack of accessibility.
That project will be tendered this month or next, with a construction start planned for September 2024, and completion by early 2026.
Chugging along
Among projects nearing completion, there’s the cemetery master plan, which Pardoe said was “paused” due to changing sales trends through 2023 as staff wanted to monitor those trends and see how they impacted the plan itself.
The plan, which includes updated fees and bylaws, accommodates an expanded range of memorial and internment options, and “ensures very long-term capacity needs,” said Pardoe. It will be completed in 2025.
The recreation trails strategy is also “chugging along,” with a raft of tasks completed and a draft report in the works. Pardoe said there is ongoing dialogue with the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations, with a final reported slated for fall of this year. From there, the RMOW will prepare a comprehensive trails plan.
Also mentioned was a disc golf feasibility study for which there is upcoming engagement opportunities.
For the wetlands enjoyers, Pardoe also highlighted the Millar Creek Wetlands viewing platform project.
“This is a project that was inspired by the Rotary Club of Whistler,” he said.
“It proposes to build a wildlife viewing platform on the Valley Trail just outside of Function Junction, similar to the one just north of Rainbow Park. It provides views over the adjacent wetland and with educational and interpretive opportunities.”
That project is working through referrals and municipal permitting, with a tentative construction start in fall 2024. It will be funded through the Rotary Club, private donations and the RMOW.
Meanwhile, there’s a bridge replacement along the Comfortably Numb trail in the works, while the municipality is looking at improvements to Pine Point Park, where Pardoe said there were significant unmanaged paths and desire lines that were impacting the forest and foreshore.
“There’s opportunities to contain the environmental impacts, to restore some trampled vegetation and provide additional lake access points and management enforcement of that area.” he said.
The scope of that project would be some 300 metres of gravel trails along existing paths, an added swim dock, and low wood protection fences together with environmental restoration to mitigate any damage.
That project is also working through referrals with the Squamish and Lil’wat nations, and municipal permitting, and has a tentative construction start of fall 2024 thanks to RMI funding.
Trail projects
Another two Valley Trail projects are on the books: The Alpha Lake portion which Pique has previously reported on, and plans to tackle the “pinch point” that is the side of Highway 99 in Bayshores, where the Valley Trail, the highway shoulder, a pedestrian crossing and a transit stop are all in close proximity.
Pardoe said the RMOW is working on how to create 150m of physically separated Valley Trail from the highway, “not just a painted line.” The project would also include pad and servicing for a bus stop shelter, while the highway shoulder would be maintained for cycling.
“There’s currently back and forth between ourselves and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure for review and hopefully approval,” said Pardoe, who added that, like many projects, it had a tentative fall construction start, and would be funded through the RMI.
Finally, the department is also working on a Village Stroll Tree Strategy, as previously reported, which should have draft documents tabled by fall, while they are just getting started on the Parks and Valley Trail Strategy which will guide decisions around the Valley Trail for the next 10 years.
“In short, there’s lots happening,” concluded Pardoe.
Questions from council ranged from the mentioned “trends” at the cemetery, to measuring park use.
On park use, Pardoe talked about expected increasing pressures on the parks system due to population growth and tourism.
“Our approach will be to figure out how we can better accommodate those demands within our existing parks space," he said. "And I think when people go to Rainbow Park in a couple of weeks when it's open, they’ll see how we’ve created spaces around the edges and a lot more seating opportunities for people in that park, and that would be an example of how it rolls out on the ground.”
Council voted to receive the report, which can be watched on the RMOW website. It begins at the 23-minute mark.
