McNicoll Park Playground & Splash Pad Improvements

The City is improving the playground and splash pad in McNicoll Park. The playground improvements are part of an ongoing program to enhance playgrounds and play spaces across the city so that everyone can experience the joys and benefits of play for years to come.

  • Spring to Early Summer 2025: Hire a design team
  • Winter 2026: Community Engagement Phase 1
  • Spring 2026: Community Engagement Phase 2
  • Summer 2025 to Fall 2026: Detailed design
  • Winter 2027: Hire a construction team
  • Spring 2027: Construction starts, playground and splash pad closes
  • Late Summer 2027: Construction complete, playground and splash pad reopen

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 obtain and consider the community’s feedback and preferences to inform the final playground and splash pad design.

In this phase, the project team will collect design ideas from community members for the new playground which will guide the development of design options in Community Engagement Phase 2.

Community Engagement Meetings and Events

June 2025

Online Survey

From June 16 to June 29, feedback on playground equipment preferences were collected in an online survey. The survey was promoted through paid social media ads, outreach to nearby schools, the local Councillor’s office, on-site signage and on this page. The survey received a total of 266 responses.

The design team will use this feedback to develop playground design options for further community feedback in late fall 2025.

Feedback Summary
  • When asked to select their favourite play features, the top five features selected were:
    • Belt swings
    • Climbers
    • Bucket swings
    • Imaginative play
    • Disc swing
  • The preferred playground structure type was one main play structure with many features (64 per cent) over many individual play features and no main structure (29 per cent).
  • Respondents shared that the five most important play features to include in the new playground were:
    • Climbing structures
    • A senior play structure for ages 5 to 12
    • Belt swings
    • A junior play structure for ages 2 to 5
    • Stand-alone toys (e.g. balance beams, tunnels, sensory sculptures, etc.)
  • Respondents shared that the five least important features to include in the new playground are:
    • Play panels
    • Group/accessible swing
    • Double slide
    • Stand alone toys
    • Straight slide
  • Respondents shared that the types of waterplay features they would prefer for the new splash pad are:
    • Mist tunnel
    • Overhead water spray
    • Overhead mist spray
    • Overhead multiple small jet spray
    • In ground nozzle with multiple jets
  • When asked to rank their preferred themes for the playground and splash pad design, the top three themes were:
    • Nature
    • Astronomy (outer space)
    • Transportation
  • For seating around the playground and splash pad:
    • 89 per cent of respondents like shaded umbrella tables
    • 80 per cent of respondents like benches
    • 72 per cent of respondents like picnic tables

The preferred colour scheme for the new playground was bright colours, like yellow, orange and purple (66 per cent) over earthy colours like green, brown and grey (16 per cent) or neutral colours with an accent colour (11 per cent).

Classroom Workshop

On June 11, 155 students from grades one to five at Hillmount Public School participated in a workshop to share ideas for the new playground. After a short presentation, students took part in an interactive activity where they built their own bingo cards using tiles that represented different playground features. The tiles chosen for their bingo cards represented the features they most wanted to see in the new playground. The number of tiles selected for each feature will help inform the future playground design.

Feedback Summary

Nature and Planting:

  • Coniferous trees (168) and deciduous trees (173) were among the top elements selected by students, showing strong interest in shade and greenery.
  • Pollinator plants (122) and rock boulders (112) were also valued.

    Popular play features:

    • Group spinners (134)
    • Tunnels (130)
    • Viewing tower (129)
    • Cozy dome (129)
    • Sand play (128)
    • Seesaw (128)

    Additional play feature preferences:

    • Swing sets (117) were preferred over saucer swings (108).
    • Curved slides (110) were preferred over straight slides (98).
    • Among climbing elements, climbing nets (126) were highly rated, followed by curved bars (117) and monkey bars (114).
    • The senior play structure for ages five to 12 (117) was slightly more popular than the junior structure for ages two to five (111).
    • Other well-liked features included play panels (119), spring toys (116) and balancing steps (112).

    Amenities and site features:

    • Benches (168) and picnic tables (129) were highly rated.

                    In this phase, the City and its design consultant will work off the outcomes of Community Engagement Phase 1 and share three playground design options with the community for feedback. The feedback will be used to develop a preferred option for the playground.

                    The community engagement activities in this phase include:

                    • an online survey
                    • an in-person pop-up event

                    The anticipated outcome of this phase is the selection of a preferred option.

                    McNicoll Park Playground is in the northwest area of the park, north of the field and south of the splash pad.

                    The playground currently includes:

                    • two swing sets with:
                      • four swings for ages two to five
                      • four swings for ages five and up
                    • a small sized slide with three climbing options
                    • a large spiral slide
                    • a junior play structure with:
                      • a small curved slide
                      • three climbing options
                      • two play panels
                      • one talk tube set
                    • a senior play structure with:
                      • one large covered slide
                      • five climbing options
                      • one overhead climbing option
                    • one sand table
                    • sand under all play areas

                    The playground will be redesigned using community feedback and is proposed to include:

                    • playground equipment for ages five to 12
                    • upgraded seating
                    • engineered wood fibre surfacing

                    The play equipment and pathway connecting to the playground area will comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Learn more about how playgrounds are made accessible.