It was all big smiles for the members of the Parkland Community Association in Calgary city council chambers on Tuesday, after councillors unanimously approved funding for a new community hub and gathering space.

The May 14 meeting of Executive Council approved the Council’s Community Fund putting $110,000 towards the total $235,000 project, and moving the construction of the new community amenity from a possibility to a reality this June.

When complete, the outdoor gathering hub will include an outdoor classroom space, new benches, year-round outdoor lighting, and a toboggan hill.

The project, to be located at the Parkland Community Association’s building in southeast Calgary, has been nearly eight years in the making, said association president Darren Way.

“We are a small community, and we’re looking at other communities out there. We have larger centers like the like the Genesis Center, Vivo, and those types of things and we’re trying to compete a little bit with those,” he said.

“We’re trying to redefine ourselves as community, what do we do, and what place do we have as a small community and community centre.”

Way said that the community tried to incorporate what was important to the community and to the different demographics of Parkland, into the design of the outdoor gathering space.

Erika Diaz, Hall Manager for the Parkland Community Association, said that the outdoor classroom space—one of the unique elements of the design — would serve several groups that currently use the hall, including a preschool, church groups, and community groups.

“Primarily, I think the preschool and any classes like the knitting group would benefit, but the Parkland Community Association is accessible to anybody. It’s not gated,” she said.

Additional upgrades are set to be done on an existing set of light poles in the field next to the community hall, construction of accessible pathways to allow for greater access to amenities and to the hall itself, and landscaping work to beautify the area around the outdoor classroom and trellis space.

The hub was designed by landscape architecture firm Ground Cubed.

Upgrades to happen to public facilities in Parkland

The community of Parkland is unusual for Calgary communities in that it has two community associations. One is the publicly accessible Parkland Community Association which represents Parkland municipally, and Park 96, which is a non-profit that provides private recreation space to community members in Parkland and was created by the original developer of Parkland.

Way said that there was a bit of competition with the Park 96 space across the street and that the CA was looking to improve publicly accessible options for the use of the outdoor space around the hall.

“It is an older community and we’re trying to encourage more kids, and we’re trying to encourage younger families,” Way said,

The development of the outdoor space, he said, would expand on the four major outdoor events that are held at the community hall every year, and possibly lead to more variety during the summer months like the addition of an outdoor market.

The entire project is expected to cost $235,000, with $50,000 provided by the community association, $75,000 from the Government of Alberta through the Community Facility Enhancement Program, and $110,000 through the Council Community Fund.

The project was brought before Executive Committee by Ward 14 Councillor Peter Demong, who called it a worthwhile project that with city investment would be ready before the fall.

“The outdoor gathering hub will be the heart of the community, where neighbours and residents can often celebrate the power of community and their vision of a vibrant inclusive space is more than just a physical space,” he said.

“It’s a testament to the value of human interaction and shared experience.”