The City of Delta’s Street FUN-iture Program will be back again this summer with a few changes.
Two years ago, during the pandemic, the city started its pop-up parks in business districts and outdoor reading rooms outside Delta’s libraries.
In 2022, pop-up parks were located at Bridge Street and the Elliott Street Wharf/Chisholm Street Wharf in Ladner, Sunstone Village and Sungod Recreation Centre in North Delta and Bayside Village in Tsawwassen. The pop-up parks were equipped with a variety of urban play infrastructure and furnished with a variety of seating.
The majority of feedback received about the program to date is “very positive” as residents of all ages and abilities enjoyed having a place to visit, hangout and play, a report to council notes.
However, the city received two concerns from Ladner businesses last summer regarding the lack of curbside parking on Bridge Street.
As a result, a few changes have been made for 2023.
The FUN-iture Program will comprise four pop-up parks: an “Outdoor Arcade” at the Chisolm Street/ Seven Seas Wharf, a “Music Room” at the Elliott Street Wharf featuring a piano, a “Games Room” at Sungod Recreation Centre and a “Rec Room” at Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall.
There will also be outdoor reading rooms at the Tsawwassen and George Mackie libraries, but not at Ladner Pioneer Library due to its close proximity to Memorial Park, which the parks and recreation department says is already activated with play infrastructure and seating.
The pop-up parks will include a variety of games including mini golf, bocce, foosball, ping pong, mini golf, cornhole, Kan-Jam, Spikeball, Connect4 and Jenga.
The accessible parks will also be furnished with Adirondack chairs, picnic tables with umbrellas, moveable patio tables and chairs and outdoor patio lighting on timers.
All pop-up parks and outdoor reading rooms will be situated on concrete and will be overlaid with recycled synthetic turf to transform the spaces.
The report also notes that, in response to feedback received by the public last year, staff will upgrade lighting at the two Ladner pop-up parks to enhance the outdoor spaces and improve safety and visibility, while the piano will be installed on a trial basis this summer.
The report also states the city will reuse most of the urban play equipment, furniture, and materials from the 2022 program. The estimated cost to purchase new equipment, install, operate and program the pop-up parks for the 2023 Street FUN-iture Program is $90,000. The estimated cost to enhance the lighting is $30,000.
The Street FUN-iture is expected to be installed in the late spring or early summer, subject to equipment availability, negotiations with relevant private property owners and adjustments necessitated by a consultation process.
Meanwhile, last year was the first for the city’s Pop-Up Play Leader program, which will also return for 2023.
Council in 2022 approved enhanced program activities including the Pop-Up Play Leader program through reallocation of $112,750 within the annual operating budget.
The program was designed to bring play-leading staff, along with free activities and games, to city parks for children and families to enjoy.
The program’s goal was to reduce barriers to participation by providing free recreation opportunities at local neighborhood parks for those that may be experiencing financial hardships in the community.
The newly formed staff team, which consisted of two play leaders, led 56 sessions at parks across the Delta throughout the summer, where 760 participants took part in a variety of interactive activities.
“The program proved to be a great success for both staff and the community by enabling the team to make important connections with members of the community who were not attending City drop-in or registered programs and also seeing the children thrive,” another report adds.
