Belle Park Master Plan

I am delighted to see that new pickleball courts are in this master plan and that 12 (presumably lit) are scheduled during the phase one implementation.

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in North America and Kingston has been unable to keep up with the growing needs of participants. There is every reason to believe that the sport is here to stay as it attracts the whole gamut of age ranges, is affordable and social. It is consistent with the mandate of Belle Park being a multi-use environment and facilitating an active lifestyle which is accessible to all Kingstonians.

I look forward to the City implementing these improvements and hope they will begin in the near future.

Vivian Yorke

Belle Park could be a real asset for the city. Too bad everything seems to take forever to get done--if Block D took years to decide to build a hotel and condos, I'm not terribly optimistic that it'll be done in my lifetime.
Paul Northover

Hello. I'm pleased to see disc golf appearing as a proposed activity for the park. I believe it would be a beneficial use to the park and community and would be well-supported activity, as it is in other City's within this region (Peterborough, Ottawa, Toronto, upstate NY). Page 67 of the Master Plan Draft mentions that a partner is required to make this happen, but I believe the City has been in discussions with Innova/TinLid who specialize in disc golf course planning, design and construction and have significant experience in Ontario. If a suitable partner already exists lets get it going!

If the partnership that the City needs is volunteering or a community club partnership, something on the lines of the typical "Friends of" groups, I would be happy to instigate a "Friends of Belle Park Disc Golf" to demonstrate a volunteer base exists to assist the City in upkeep, care, oversight and maintenance of the disc golf course in the park.

Please let me know if I or others interested in disc golf can assist in a meaningful way to bring this fun and accessible sport to Kingston.

Bryan Brassington
613-888-8956
bryan.d.brassington@gmail.com

I have reviewed the draft master plan and am extremely pleased to see that there are provisions for a disc golf course. Disc golf is a great sport for so many reasons: it's easy to play, it's affordable, it accessible to people with a range of abilities, and it is played in naturalized spaces (i.e., does not require highly manicured greens, unlike traditional golf). It is an ideal addition to the Belle Park Master Plan, and will represent the first disc golf course in Kingston. Great work!

Exploration of options, input, public engagement - all commendable and necessary. There are a lot of ideas, needs and different opinions out there. Time has ticked on and on and on, and I am looking forward to seeing the city move forward into action, please!! I appreciate that there are phases of implementation required, however going through the report, one reads that it may take 15 years to implement all - does that mean Phase 1 could take 1/3 of that, or 5 years?! In terms of pickleball courts (my own particular interest amongst other desires for nature trails and outdoor opportunities), that is way too long! Please let's step into action on the recreating of 12 dedicated pickleball courts, complete with lighting, separating low fencing and windscreens. This is the fastest growing sport in North America, accessible to young and old, and there has been an explosive growth within our community. I have recently witnessed the transformation of old unused courts (via Facebook) by various communities, such as Lansdowne and Sarnia, into top-notch pickleball courts. Kingston just hosted the National Pickleball Championships, pulling thousands of dollars of revenue into the city, and yet we seem to be left in the dirt as other communities zoom ahead in implementation of courts! I also strongly urge the committee to contact the community of St Thomas to understand their process for creating the formidable Pinafore Park Pickleball and Tennis Club - I played in a tournament there last summer and it is a sight to behold.
We are fortunate to have this green space property in this modern day and age of urban build-up and commercialism. Let's get these plans approved after all this time studying and move forward in Phase 1... here's hoping for 2019-2020!

City Officials,

I truly hope you take all comments into consideration. This is a piece of property in a great location that needs to be done right. There is room for all. Keep some room for expansion as you never know what the future holds.
The time is now and any further delay is quite frankly a waste of valuable resources including the tax payers monies. Further studies are not needed and at this point we need this to be taken across the finish line without further delays, mandate changes and or staff changes.

Personally I would enjoy the nature trails and the pickle ball courts that are so badly needed in this city. Pickle ball can be enjoyed by everyone from the young to the senior members of our great city.
The courts are a great place for excercise and a chance to meet new people.
Fastest growing sport in North America!

Lets get started!

Jeff de Ruiter

Look like after all the time and efforts that went into getting this Redevelopment Plan completed, the City was able to respond to the needs of the various groups. Nature trails, sport activities, off leash park, etc. Its a great design. Recreational activities including off-leash at the front end of Park (near the Clubhouse) so the rest of park can be use for nature trails, look outs, etc. Lets not forget, we are dealing with a old dump site, so a lot of environmental issues to deal with. This plan is doing a great job to address these. Hopefully, this plan will be approved quickly by the the Review Committee and City Council. Funding will then be the next issue to move on with this project.

I would strongly encourage the City to incorporate an off-leash dog park here. The main off-leash park for residents in that area is @ the Memorial Centre. That dog park has developed a reputation of being poorly kept and maintained (this is generally the case with most of Kingston's dog parks - what a shame) and is removed during various times of the year to accommodate fairs, rib fest, etc, leaving local residents living nearby (and whom don't have a car) with no other options. Look at Burgoyne Dog Park in St. Catharines - its a great dog park and a good model to reference as a possible way to incorporate something dog-friendly @ Belle.

Though I would prefer that the whole park be dedicated to natural space, I think this plan offers a good balance of opportunities to enjoy nature and sports activities. However the proposed off-leash area for dogs is problematic. Without a hard barrier the whole park will become an off-leash area with plenty of potential for conflict between dog owners and other users. Fencing will be required. I also concur with the comments below about adding a boat launching site: it is not necessary and would work against the aim of maintaining a natural shoreline and protecting habitat for wildlife.

I second the view that what we need are wild spaces and a minimum infrastructure that produces disturbance in the eco-system. That means avoiding ashphalt, boat launches for motor boats and other built spaces. It is still unclear to me what other locations have been explored for the sports activities included here. Lemoine Point should be the model for this park.

I think the area should be kept natural, but neat. There’s a lot of unmanaged forest nearby that squatters are using to camp. It needs to be cleaned up and the underbrush needs to be removed

I appreciate that a diversity of activities would be welcome in the park. However, in the grand scheme of Kingston, there is a lack of truly wild spaces where human management is minimal. I would appreciate if the trail system was even more minimal in the park. I think leaving the area as a wild space would benefit the local ecosystem and the community by letting activities in the park remain informal. Informal activities are essential for creativity and letting the ecosystem thrive.

It would be nice to finally have some decent pickleball courts .The master plan looks awesome if it were just going to happen soon. Unfortunately the city does not have a reputation to act in a timely matter.

Concept 1 & 2 both look ideal. The park should focus on "people enjoying nature" with trails providing access. Minimize the amount of asphalt used. Preserve as many large trees as possible. Place picnic tables and garbage cans throughout the property. A decorative fountain at the entrance would be a nice touch.

I would like to thank city staff and members of the team for their hard work and excellent recommendations for Belle Park. I, personally, would prefer that it be left much like Lemoine Point in a natural state for hiking, enjoying nature, snow shoeing etc. Nevertheless, I understand the needs for organized sport, especially team sports in the north end. I am not in favour of a boat launch given the disturbance that would cause to the sediments and disturbance to natural environment for shoreline species. There are other boat launch sites close by.

"The Kingston Pickleball Club has not formalized any proposal to contribute or partner with the City on court development." ???
To my knowledge we were never asked to put forward a proposal to contribute or partner with the City on court development at Belle Park! Perhaps you could set up a meeting with our executive. That would be an obvious place to start.
Ryan Brown
It took three years to develop the plan. How many years will it take to implement Phase One?

I like the Plan : very thorough with a balanced action plan.

Please ensure there is a 911 address associated with the entrance into the park, not just a name. This way you can enter the street number and name into a GPS. I moved here ~ 3 years ago and find the lack of street addresses attached to the entrances for parks or on the city maps infuriating. I can see a on a map where they are located, but struggle may a time to find where the actual entrance to the park is.

Kingston does not have a long, waterfront walking path (Breakwater Park is very short). It would be great if Kingston could incorporate a long walking path along the waterfront and into nature some how, accessible to people with strollers and walkers. Belleville has a long asphalt path, and Toronto has a boardwalk, both go on for some distance. It would be great if this could somehow be incorporated into Belle Park....a LONG walking path.

Really glad to see the pickle ball courts in Phase 1 for implementation. Just can't seem to find when Phase 1 is. Thanks.