With close to 130 parks spread out across Barrie, it’s bound to happen that there will be some opinions on what is “good” and what, in people’s opinions, could be better.
Laura Cappelli says she enjoys bringing her three young children to parks throughout the city, but added the kids tend to lean toward the larger, more open parks such as Sunnidale, as it offers a lot more options for their different ages.
“I think this one (Sunnidale Park) is one of their favourites. They call this the 'Green Park'," she told BarrieToday.
"We like it because there’s lots of open space. I have a little one that’s still kind of clunky on her feet, so it’s level ground and there’s not a lot of mulch, which is great," Cappelli added.
Their closest neighbourhood park is MacMorrison Park, located off of Grove Street, but she said even though it’s within walking distance to their home, they tend to opt to drive to other “better parks in other areas of the city."
“It’s OK. It’s an older park. We live really close to Oakley Park School. We used to take the kids (to the park) there on the off hours, but they took it down and I don’t know if they’re going to put it back up," she said.
Cappelli said they also frequent Centennial Park, located along the city lakeshore, however she admitted they tend to steer clear of it when it gets too busy.
The City of Barrie is currently seeking public input on local parks. The feedback will be used for development and redevelopment of park spaces and outdoor facilities to accommodate population growth.
Although the larger, more popular city parks — such as Sunnidale and Centennial — do offer a lot to offer kids of all ages, Cappelli said she’d like to see the smaller “neighbourhood” parks be improved to include more inclusive options for kids of all ages and abilities.
“I have noticed a lot of parks in Barrie, which I am surprised about, don’t really have a lot of options for kids in wheelchairs or kids with special needs," she said. "I have seen a couple of good ones in Toronto that have really good ones, but not around Barrie, which is surprising."
Adding more swings, especially baby swings, would be something else her family would like to see the city invest in, noting in the warmer weather, there is often a line up to use them. The addition of washrooms would also be helpful, she added.
Rachel Mann and Leon Ellis often take their two-year-old son, Cash, along with Ellis’ little brother Jack, to local parks to help them burn off some energy and get fresh air, but said they often skip their local park in the city’s east end in favour of newer, cleaner parks in other neighbourhoods.
Ellis said, unfortunately, when they do make their way to their local park, it’s often been taken over by “bigger kids” who are mostly hanging around the top of the play structure.
“I don’t really feel like it’s a friendly environment for younger kids. It’s always, for lack of a better term, loud-mouthed kids just swearing … and doing stuff they shouldn’t be, and there are no parents around," he said. "We don’t even come to this park regularly. If there are people here we just walk on by and usually find ourselves going somewhere else in town.”
In addition to graffiti, the smaller parks just don’t seem to be maintained quite as well, Ellis added.
“(The city) just needs to keep up with it year-over-year. I have always found the east-end parks to be a little bit grungy compared to some of the other parks," said Ellis, as he and Mann watched the kids play on the slide at Cheltenham Park near Johnson Street. "I find in the summertime, we are always going farther away.”
As for what they would like to see added, seven-year-old Jack thinks a zip line would be great addition to more parks, along with climbing equipment.
More often than not, though, Ellis said he finds the kids tend to gravitate toward the swings, adding he wishes city parks had more swings — both the baby swings and the ones for the “bigger kids."
Ideally, he would also like to see something along the lines of a children's obstacle area in some parks, similar to what they enjoy at Sunnidale Park, as it offers kids of all ages a variety of play options.
“You can get on one part and stay on the jungle gym, but you’re halfway down at the other side of the park by the time you get finished," he said.
Both families noted the creation of another splash pad in the city would be a very welcome addition.
The City of Barrie is currently conducting three different surveys — one for anyone who lives in Barrie, one for user groups like sports teams and organizations, and one for school boards — to get feedback on how people use city parks and outdoor spaces.
The public survey is open until March 24 and should take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. The survey can be accessed at barrie.ca/parks. The parkland needs assessment will be complete by fall 2023.
