Help shape the future of Country Hills Park

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We are upgrading Country Hills Park and adding stormwater facilities to the park. We want to hear what park experiences are important to you. Your input will help guide the design of these upgrades so that the park better serves the neighbourhood.

Park updates will include:

  • Trail upgrades
  • A stormwater pond or underground stormwater feature
  • Upgrades to other park features in response to the community’s interests and needs

We want to hear how Country Hills Park is currently used and how the park could better support the community into the future. Your input will help us balance the new stormwater facility with park upgrades.

Why are we adding stormwater measures to the park?

Climate change will bring more intense storms and more frequent freeze-thaw cycles. Creating more spaces for stormwater to collect in neighbourhoods reduces flooding during storms.

Runoff from the neighbourhood flows through a sewer under Country Hills Park to Balzer Creek and the Grand River. This makes Country Hills Park a good place to add a new stormwater facility to collect runoff. By adding stormwater storage to the neighbourhood, we would:

  • Improve water quality in Balzer Creek and the Grand River
  • Reduce the risk of flooding
  • Reduce erosion in Balzer Creek
  • Improve resilience against climate change
  • Enhance community safety

For more information on this project, please read the project background.

Stay Informed

Subscribe for updates and be the first to know about news and information about this project. Add your email to the Stay Informed box on this page and click ‘Subscribe’.

We are upgrading Country Hills Park and adding stormwater facilities to the park. We want to hear what park experiences are important to you. Your input will help guide the design of these upgrades so that the park better serves the neighbourhood.

Park updates will include:

  • Trail upgrades
  • A stormwater pond or underground stormwater feature
  • Upgrades to other park features in response to the community’s interests and needs

We want to hear how Country Hills Park is currently used and how the park could better support the community into the future. Your input will help us balance the new stormwater facility with park upgrades.

Why are we adding stormwater measures to the park?

Climate change will bring more intense storms and more frequent freeze-thaw cycles. Creating more spaces for stormwater to collect in neighbourhoods reduces flooding during storms.

Runoff from the neighbourhood flows through a sewer under Country Hills Park to Balzer Creek and the Grand River. This makes Country Hills Park a good place to add a new stormwater facility to collect runoff. By adding stormwater storage to the neighbourhood, we would:

  • Improve water quality in Balzer Creek and the Grand River
  • Reduce the risk of flooding
  • Reduce erosion in Balzer Creek
  • Improve resilience against climate change
  • Enhance community safety

For more information on this project, please read the project background.

Stay Informed

Subscribe for updates and be the first to know about news and information about this project. Add your email to the Stay Informed box on this page and click ‘Subscribe’.

Ask a Question

Do you have a question about this project? Ask it here. 

Because of the high number of questions we're receiving about our stormwater management projects, we can't answer most questions directly. Instead, we'll update the FAQ section of this page with new questions.

To protect your privacy:

  • Do not include your last name in your username
  • Do not include any personal information (like your address) in your question  

We usually respond within three business days. If your question is urgent, call the City of Kitchener at 519-741-2345 (TTY: 1-866-969-9994)

 

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    The Tennis Court would be an ideal location for a playground expansion/skatepark, integrating the existing trees into the design would be cool for this space ie nature walk , graduated activity opportunities for age groups, etc. The outfield of the baseball diamond area is effectively a swampy field but there is good space opportunity for dog park, Jack Darling park in Mississauga has greenspace that sits atop its water facility, is that an option here. It looks like the footprint of the treatment facility will be displacing some large trees, is there a plan to replant them? Please connect via email with more information about this project.

    Chris H asked 11 months ago
    Thank you for your ideas about including nature connections and experiences for all ages at the park! As we consider changes to the park, we’re looking for design solutions that:
    • respond to community priorities for the par
    • reduce future flood risks
    • protect and improve water quality
    • are technically workable
    • and fit within the project budget

    As we gather community input, we will pay close attention to the community’s priorities for the tennis court area. 

    As for the large trees, we're not sure yet if any will need to be removed. The plan on our website is only a preliminary concept to show what might be possible. The final plan may look very different. If we do have to take down any trees, we'll plant new ones following Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy.

    This year, we will return to the community to share information about the design process. We’ll also share plans for how the community can provide feedback at every stage.
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    I have heard that the stormwater facility may be installed where the tennis courts are. I can't imagine why that site is chosen. Walk through the park and see where the water collects! It's always wet — year-round — near the bridge over the creek. Likely spring-fed. We have sloshed through that spot for 38 years — trust us, it's where the water facility should be.

    Bill Bean asked about 1 year ago

    Thanks for your helpful feedback about the wet areas of the park. We will consider this feedback. The area near the creek and the baseball field is within a GRCA-regulated floodplain and may not be possible for such construction. We will consider wet areas when creating design options for the stormwater feature. 

    We've posted a survey to hear from the community on what amenities are important to them in the park. Active sports surfaces? A chance to connect with nature? Play opportunities? We're very interested to hear back from you on this. This feedback will help us plan what to do with the tennis court area, which is now in disrepair. 

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    When will the tennis courts be repaired. And Will the tennis nets be set up again, perhaps too late for this year but for next tennis season

    barry tracey asked over 1 year ago

    Thank you for your question. Our current plan is to construct park enhancements in 2025. At that time, we will add a stormwater facility to the area that is now a tennis court. The stormwater facility added to that area of the park will be a pond or an underground storage facility. We will collect community ideas and input throughout various phases of design. The community's input will help inform the final design, including whether the final design includes a tennis court. Please subscribe to this page and watch for a survey later this year and a first info night in early 2023.

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    Please please do not cut down anymore trees in the park. I hope this will be looked at with high priority.

    Joanna Brohman asked over 1 year ago

    Thank you for your concerns about the trees. Unfortunately, we will have to remove some trees to install the underground storage facility. We will assess each tree to determine its health and whether its removal is essential. Our planting plan will include the replacement of removed trees.

    We will make every effort to keep as many trees as possible. We will consult with the Forestry team as we design the stormwater facility. We will also follow Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy. This strategy sets out the City's commitments to protecting and expanding our tree canopy.  


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    Are they going to improve the tennis court and maybe a skating rink in the winter. Put more garbage bins and maybe room for an off leash park and washrooms

    Lizz asked over 1 year ago

    Thanks for your input and thoughtful insight. Given the costs of maintaining washrooms we typically locate them in larger community level parks such as Victoria Park. We have also been hearing a lot about off-leash areas recently and know that the City needs more of these areas throughout the City’s parks. The Parks Department is currently working on our Parks Strategic Plan – Places and Spaces to look at where our parks are located and how they are programmed. The feedback you have provided here would help inform our Places and Spaces plan, for us to better understand what the community wants to see in their parks. If you wish please check out our Engage Page and check out our Places and Spaces project.

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    How is the park going to be improved for families (enhanced playground, splash pad, off leash space for dogs)

    Roselyn asked over 1 year ago

    Thanks for your question. It is still too early to know what park improvements will look like. Later this year, we will post a survey on the Country Hills Park Engage page to ask how people use the park and what experiences people want to have in the park. We will use this input to help generate design ideas as we balance the new stormwater facility with park improvements. Please subscribe to the project's Engage page to receive project updates.  

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    Paul Singh was talking about moving the kids playground away from the trees. Do you know why he said that? It’s nice and shady at the moment and most people think that is a bad idea. Would the pond be full all the time or only when it rains? Are their concepts or suggestions that will be shared?

    Countryhillsguy asked over 1 year ago

    Thanks for your questions and for letting us know that shade in the playground is important to you. We want to understand how people use the park and how the park space can better support the community into the future. We will use your input to help generate design ideas as we balance the new stormwater facility with park improvements. Watch for a survey this fall.

    We will provide concepts later on in the design phase of this project. Watch for future meetings to discuss plans. Please subscribe to the project's Engage page to receive project updates.  

    It is still too early to know what type of stormwater management facility we will add to Country Hills Park. We may build an underground stormwater storage facility which would not be visible from the surface. Another option we are exploring is to create a wet pond. Wet ponds hold water between rains.

     

Page last updated: 27 Mar 2024, 09:38 AM