Cornell Park Improvements

The City is improving Cornell Park with a new splash pad, updated playground surfacing and state-of-good-repair upgrades to the existing basketball court, volleyball court and ball hockey pad. Other improvements include new seating and accessible pathways.

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    • Summer 2025: Hire a design team
    • Winter 2026: Community engagement and design development
    • Spring 2026: Detailed design
    • Summer 2026: Hire a construction team
    • Fall 2026: Splash pad construction starts
    • Summer 2027: Splash pad construction complete

    Construction of the other park improvements will follow at a later date. Details will be posted when available.

    The timeline is subject to change.

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    Level of Engagement

    This project has been classified as a Consult project based on the International Association of Public Participation Spectrum. This means we collect and consider public feedback on proposed design options to inform the development of a final design for the park improvements.

    January 2026

    Online Survey

    From December 8 to January 11, an online survey in English and Gujarati collected feedback from 236 respondents on proposed options for the splash pad design and enhancements to the volleyball court. The survey was promoted through social media, on-site signage, the project mailing list, outreach to nearby schools and community centres, the local Councillor’s office and this page.

    The project team will use this feedback to develop the final design.

    Feedback Summary

    Overall, 80 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the splash pad design options, 13 per cent were neutral and seven per cent were dissatisfied.

    Respondents were asked which design option they liked best:

    • 59 per cent preferred Design Option B
    • 26 per cent preferred Design Option A
    • 14 per cent had no preference
    • one per cent did not know

    In Design Option B, the water play features respondents liked most are:

    • water dumping bucket (72 per cent)
    • mountain sprayer (34 per cent)
    • spray loop (32 per cent)

    In Design Option B, the water play features respondents liked least are:

    • none (43 per cent)
    • ring sprayer (20 per cent)
    • rooster tail sprayer (16 per cent)

    In Design Option A, the water play features respondents liked most are:

    • flower sprayer (28 per cent)
    • leaf sprayer (28 per cent)
    • seaweed sprayer (28 per cent)

    In Design Option A, the water play features respondents liked least are:

    • none (34 per cent)
    • waterbug sprayer (20 per cent)
    • geyser sprayer (20 per cent)

    Respondents were asked which option for improving the volleyball court they preferred:

    • 59 per cent preferred repurposing the volleyball court into a multi-use court with painted lines for badminton, volleyball and pickleball (if budget allows)
    • 20 per cent preferred resurfacing the volleyball court from sand to turf and replacing the existing posts and nets
    • 10 per cent preferred upgrading the volleyball court with new sand surfacing and curbs, along with replacing the existing posts and nets
    • six per cent had no preference
    • five per cent did not know

    66 respondents provided additional feedback on how to make the park improvements more welcoming and accessible to all community members, some of which was outside the project scope.  Common themes included:

    • adding more seating (14 comments)
    • resurfacing the existing ball hockey pad (11 comments)
    • adding more shaded areas (seven comments)
    • installing a second ball hockey pad (five comments)
    • requests for washrooms (four comments)
    • changing the surfacing of the existing playground to rubber (four comments)

    December 2025

    Splash Pad Design Options

    The new splash pad will be located next to the existing playground in the northern area of the park.

    Numbered site plan of Cornell Park’s northern area, adjacent to Holmfirth Terrace. Numbers correspond to the list immediately following the image.

    1. New accessible asphalt pathway
    2. New splash pad on slip-resistant concrete surfacing
    3. New shade structure with accessible picnic tables on concrete paving
    4. Existing playground to be updated with a new curb and wood chip safety surfacing
    5. New benches on concrete paving
    6. Existing underground utility services

    Two design options for the splash pad were presented to the community for feedback, which will inform the development of a final design.

    Both designs comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and include about the same number of water play features.

    Design Option A: Nature Theme

    Rendering of Design Option A for the new splash pad with features as listed in the first list after the image. Features include upright nature-themed sprays and jets in accents of green, yellow and blue.

    Design Option A includes:

    • Two push-button water activators
    • One waterbug sprayer
    • Two tall grass sprayers
    • One seaweed sprayer
    • Two in-ground rooster tail sprayers
    • One pine tree sprayer
    • One flower sprayer
    • One leaf sprayer
    • Two in-ground jet stream sprayers
    • One in-ground geyser sprayer
    • One in-ground fountain sprayer
    • One bobble sprayer
    Design Option B: Modern Theme

    Rendering of Design Option B for the new splash pad with features as listed in the first list after the image. Features include modern-themed sprays and jets in accents of magenta, yellow, green and blue.

    Design Option B includes:

    • Two push-button water activators
    • One water dumping bucket
    • Two tube sprayers
    • Two spray loops
    • Two curved sprayers
    • One in-ground rooster tail sprayer
    • Two in-ground jet stream sprayers
    • One twisting sprayer
    • One in-ground fountain sprayer
    • One ring sprayer
    • One mountain sprayer