Hillside Park Play Area Improvements

Overview

Hillside Park is located on Squak Mountain and home to both Upper and Lower Cemeteries. The 44-acre park is mostly forested with an open, grassy 2-acre area that serves as a neighborhood park. The site currently contains a backstop, picnic tables, trash cans and trails, and is the City's only "walk-in" park.

Background

In 2014, public engagement identified the need for this park to have a play area. We are taking the feedback received in 2014 and using is as the starting point for completing these play area improvements.

Join Us

We’d also like to invite you to join us for an on-site Open House at Hillside Park, May 19, from 5:30-7 p.m. This open house will show how any proposed park improvements listed above might fit into the park’s existing landscape, and will be supplemented with some visual images.

All meeting materials will be posted below afterwards. If you can't attend the Open House, written or emailed comments may be sent to Jennifer Fink, Park Planner, through May 31, 2022.

Timeline & Other Engagement

Feb. 24, 2021: Neighborhood meeting #1 materials:
- Video
- Presentation
- Survey results from meeting
- Chat comments
- Online survey results
June 10, 2021: Neighborhood meeting #2 materials: Video, Presentation from meeting, and supplemental information Arborist Report and Wetland Report.
June 23, 2021: On-site open house with City staff and consultant team.
July 26, 2021: Special Park Board meeting held at Hillside Park. Park Board Agenda
Jan. 25, 2022: Geotechnical Report
Mar. 28, 2022: Park Board update: Presentation
May 17, 2022: Neighborhood meeting #3 materials:

Next steps

Continue to seek balanced solutions as potential concepts are explored with the community;
Seek community consensus on preferred concept by end of Aug. 2022;
Begin final design and permitting processes for playfield (wetland including mitigation), trail connectivity and other park improvements;
Construction of this capital project is expected to occur in 2023.