The design has been finalized for the basketball half court and skate spot at McNally Park.

McNally Street Park is a 1.72-hectare (4.24-acre) neighbourhood park located at 12 McNally Street in west Georgetown. The park offers a range of amenities including two playground areas, an intermediate sized soccer field, pathways, mailbox kiosks, open green space, and seating.

The Recreation & Parks Department is undertaking improvements for McNally Street Park, which includes:

• The replacement of the playground equipment for both of the playground areas (COMPLETED November 2023)
• The addition of skate spot and a basketball half court. (Second consultation finished April 2024, construction summer 2024)

Please review the final design below

Feedback from the second round of consultation provided direction for staff to determine the type of skate feature (A-frame with ledge) and the painted line games (hop trail, 4 square and basketball linework).

The first public consultation for this project took place in Spring 2023 and we heard the following themes from the community regarding the skate features:

-significant number of kids in neighbourhood and active busy park

-multiple home daycares with younger children use the park

-concerns regarding compatibility and proximity of the skate features next to playground

-desire for a half basketball multi-court to enhance the neighbourhood park

-preference towards 'street' skateboard terrain and being different from Gellert and Mold-Masters skateparks

-concerns about the perceived size of features and amount of hard surface

-concerns about road traffic, parking and not encouraging people to drive to park

-a few residents did not want any skate features are were concerned about perceived negative impacts of 'skatepark' and 'youth' to the park (noise, crime, undesirable behaviours)

Based on the results of the first round of consultation, Town staff adjusted the scope of this project and created a design that scales back the skate features and includes a combination of half basketball court, line painting and skate spot.

It is important to note that the design of the skate features cater to local beginner and intermediate skilled users that skateboard, scooter, BMX bike or inline skate. The features are small in height and overall area making this a 'skate spot' or 'skate dot' not a large skatepark. These features provide learning, skill building and play experiences. The features have been designed to compliment those at other skate spots and skateparks within Georgetown. The small size of the skate spot and lack of advanced features, limits the draw from those outside the neighbourhood or community, limiting the desirability to drive to the park and contribute to traffic and parking concerns.

What's Next?

Construction of the basketball half court and skate feature will take place through the summer and completion is expected in Fall 2024.

Why McNally Street Park?

Based on the 2017 Georgetown Action Sports Needs Assessment, McNally Street Park was identified as a location for skateboard features. The size of the area is 'skate spot' level which is a grouping of small scale concrete skate features serving the immediate neighbourhood, skateboard, scooter, inline and BMX users. A basketball half court was originally shown in the initial subdivision park design drawings (circa 2001), but not constructed.

Jubilee Park (194 Niagara Trail, Georgetown) has a skate spot that has been a very successful park feature, and Maple Creek Park (14 Watson Rd, Georgetown) has a basketball half court with line painting if you are interested in seeing local examples of these park uses in person.