Bert Meunier Common & Max Crescent Park

More splash pads and swings at the parks. Update the Halifax park . The climber is not safe for younger kids and there is open space to be used too.
Basketball, soccer fields, and tennis court are needed. Outdoor activities are great for young kids to get fit and meet new people that they live around.

Splash pad and soccer field

Soccer field would be nice as there are so many kids in the area. This would save on people travelling to other areas just to go to a soccer practice or game

It is wonderful that the city is putting resources into Bert Meunier Common. We have submitted a lengthy commentary via email to the city representatives involved. Suffice it to say we urge caution around the basketball court or any park addition that draws increased vehicular traffic. Making existing problems worse is not progress. A looping walking path around a common use grassed area on the west side maximizes possible informal uses. Thanks for the opportunity for input.

Basket court/ soccer will be problematic in regards to noise and parking for the families in our neighbourhood. Please reconsider this as there are many young children around. A nice walking/biking path all the way around would be appreciated.

With respect to the proposals for Bert Meunier Common:
1) I like the idea of seating along the path but feel that benches similar to what is currently in the existing park would be better than cement walls, much more comfortable. There should also be more covered seating as well, similar to the one in the existing park.
2) A basketball court is totally unsuitable for this area. Most schools have outdoor courts with easy access and parking, which does NOT exist at this location. Last weekend the Augusta Drive stretch bordering the existing park was strewn with vehicles, in NO Parking zones, making it difficult to get down the street and an accident involving a child crossing the street is highly probably as the number of vehicles increases. The noise from a court is also way above what the neighbours should be expected to tolerate. It is not as though it will be used for limited hours, it will extend well into the evening/night. Home owners are entitled to a reasonable expectation of peace and quiet.
3) If there is $ money for park improvement, I suggest that some of the dead trees and unpruned vegetation be replaced and that suitable gardens be added to beautify the space. Low maintenance gardens strategically placed would be aesthetically pleasing and an environmentally friendly alternative to more pavement.

Regarding Bert Munier, placing the BB court further from the street, but rotating 90 degrees it such that badly missed shots still won't go towards the street is a smarter idea than what is listed in the current option. The current option is, however better for not putting the sun in the eyes of the shooter in the evening. Having a sports/soccer field nearby would be really nice for the kids. I hope you'll decide to paint lines!

Both of these planned projects would be great additions to the subdivision. I was unaware of the Max Crescent project but the Bert Meunier Common yes. As for the negative comments from people about Bert Meunier Common, you shouldn't have purchased a home in this subdivision in the first place as that green space was already reserved in the master subdivision plan for this purpose. Originally I thought the city was going to build a basketball court alongside of the playground/splash pad which would have made more sense but this didn't happen. I think Option#2 is a fair compromise, it's right in the middle of the green space off to the right and leaves ample room for paths, soccer field, whatever else.

Please consider the noise level that a basketball court will present when planning. The two options have the court VERY close to the houses that front Crossfield and I know for certain that most of those residents are retirement age or older. I love the idea of adding to the park, don't get me wrong. But there is space further away from the homes that can be used. Also note, the proposed area is visited by police regularly already, so please consider moving the energy of our youth a bit further away, perhaps immediately south of the walkway that intersects the round (across from the play area). Thank you.
Update: Just to be clear, I am not opposed to a basketball court, rather, I recommend putting it closer to the existing play area and not right at the street line. We should be able to find a good compromise as a community. Thanks for allowing all to be heard! To fellow commenters - please be kind to those concerned about noise. It can ruin your life, so let's find a solution that works for all.

I would not place a playground here (Max Crescent).

(1) This is one of only two remaining stands of indigenous woods in the entire block (Cat Woods - Sydenham - Princess - Centennial). The large central park at Augusta and Crossfield is within a 10-minute walk from all points in the block. Keep the trees and encourage a little extra exercise.

(2) Coyotes are foraging in that specific area (Andersen - Max) nightly. A playground will accumulate human food waste and increase the coyote traffic. I came face-to-face with one on Andersen as it was leaving someone's yard and luckily for me it was alone. Food waste, coyotes, and children seem like an unwise mixture.

I am strongly opposed to the building of the basketball court and have the following comments on the development plan of Bert Meunier Common:
1. The basketball court is too close to my backyard (Edward Riley) and will make the living environment worse for the residents around the Common area. The Common area is crowded now with the playground, water splashing pad, winter skating area, dog walkers, walkers, baseball players, and joggers etc. Building a basketball court in such a small area will make it noisier and more crowded and negatively impact the life of the residents around this area.
2. The basketball court will attract more teenagers to this area in the nighttime. In the past the teenagers wandering in the playground in the nighttime rang my doorbell and flapped heavily on the windows and front door many times (in a period before the winter they came almost every night). On the worst night they hit and flapped my door every half hour to one hour from 7:30pm to 2:00am. I have to call the police three times on the same night. If you are living in this area, will you still plan this basketball court in such a small area?
3. Many other residents living around the common area (including the condon and houses) were also bothered badly by the teenagers many times. And the police office has received many calls and has the recordes. Many residents in this area are seniors. The teenager hit the windows and doors and beamed into windows with laser light or flashing light in the late nighttime. This has impacted the life of the residents and may cause the health problem to many people.
4. The playground and water splashing pad have attracted many families (this neighborhood and other neighborhoods) to bring kids to the common area to play. Many parents shopping in Costco just drop their children in the playground and pick them up after shopping. In the summer the cars are parked along the roundabout, the streets, and the visitor parking lots of the condo. The addition of the basketball court will make the traffic and parking more disordered and make this area like a market.
5. As a resident of this area, we are expecting more trees along the streets and in the common area other than concrete areas.
6. We hope the new asphalt pathway in the west area can be a loop. It may make the play field a little smaller than the one proposed. However It's a non-standard play field, a little smaller will not make any difference. A loop pathway will provide a lot of convenience to walkers, joggers, dog walkers, and kid bikers. They don't have to leave this area to the street for more exercise. The pathway should also be extended more to the corners of that area to make the pathway as long as possible.

It would be great to add some outdoor fitness equipment that adults can use (bars, benches etc). There are lots of low maintenance options that are available in other cities.

It looks like there is space to add community garden beds.

1. Please maintain as many trees as possible at Max Cres. Also, some picnic tables spread out among the trees like you see at city and victoria park downtown would be fantastic!!
2. For Bert Meunier, people cross country ski and snowshoe around the large rectangular field in the winter, can space to do that be preserved when planting trees etc for this site.
3. A basketball court is sorely needed in this area, and I was disappointed to see the idea of tennis courts dismissed in the meeting. From the comments you can see that tennis/pickle ball courts would be very welcome, there are a large number of youth and elderly in this neighbourhood, I think the tennis/pickle ball courts would be well used. And if they could be turned into ice rinks in the winter even better. The space is there, either beside the proposed basketball court or beside where the current ice rink get's set up.
4. This park is in the middle of the neighbourhood, a 5-10 min walk max from anywhere, please do not create a parking lot. People should not be driving, and if they have to for some reason, they can park on a street close by. If there is an issue with people parking on the curve where they shouldn't, put up some no parking signs. But where I see people park beside the playground there is more than enough room and people should relax.
5. There is not sufficient place for a dog park, please do not add one. The basketball court, sport field, paths are all better ideas (and the tennis courts that you should but won't put in too).
**I appreciate the city making an effort to get the neighbourhood engaged and have the opportunity to give feedback. However, this effort seems to have happened AFTER the online session. I heard nothing, saw no signage and didn't get a flyer asking for my feedback until a week after the online session. Next time, please get out in front of things like this, the flyers to people doors are great, but should have been delivered a week before the online engagement session, perhaps post some posters on community mailboxes

Please keep the Max Crescent Park as natural as possible. If a play structure is inevitable, please keep it as natural looking and small as possible. We were hoping to see this space remain a nature haven for families to enjoy.

WE NEED TENNIS COURTS IN THIS AREA IF NOT WE ALWAYS HAVE TO DRIVE TO THE WEST END OR DOWNTOWN. PLEASE PUT TENNIS COURTS THANKS

I think that a tennis and pickle ball court would be more useful since all of the tennis courts are in the west end or the downtown area. We have no tennis courts on the northern side of Kingston. We have to drive to Lakeshore or Bayridge sometimes to not have any open court. It would be nice to be able to just walk up the street for a game . There is plenty of free space there to accommodate both basketball and tennis/pickleball

I really appreciate the maximization and integration of natural plantings and trees. Every Park in Kingston needs to integrate as much natural habitat and as many trees as possible for their myriad benefits. Keep up the great work!

Max Cresc - PLEASE keep the trees/nature in this park area!! My kids LOVE to play in the forest - to see the birds, squirrels, and rabbits. We go over there all the time. They love collecting pinecones and playing with sticks. Please make this park as natural as possible!! In my opinion, keep it simple: a simple pathway through the woods with a rock bridge would be so much more beneficial than a play structure. If you must put a play structure in, please keep it simple and natural. Please! Our children don't need any more concrete and turf. So much nature has already been torn out of this area, and this is the only pocket left of the forest that used to be here.

This area needs a fenced in dog park.

If you add marry go roind then it will good for us and see saw also we want if possible