Several changes are being considered at a popular south-end Saint John park to make way for a new school in the coming years.
A new K-8 school and community hub has been proposed for Rainbow Park to replace Prince Charles and St. John the Baptist/King Edward schools.
In order to accommodate the new build in the northern portion of the park, the existing swing set, small playground and dog park need to be decommissioned.
“We’ve been working with a landscape architect, the district, the province, internal stakeholders and some community stakeholders to try and reimagine how we can make better use of Rainbow Park,” said David Dobbelsteyn, director of growth and community support services for the city.
Current proposals include a new and refreshed basketball court, a new tot lot playground for younger kids, a new bark park and a new location for the Turner-Brewer Memorial within the park.
There are also plans to shift the orientation of the community garden and to add new trees, green space and benches.
Dobbelsteyn said they received lots of feedback from the community during an engagement session earlier in August.
“There was a whole combination of really great feedback from the public where they loved what they were seeing, there was some constructive feedback where things they thought could be better,” he said.
“There was also some negative feedback. We heard of people who were concerned about losing access to the playground or the implications of the school and the traffic.”
Parts of the park, including the Jumpstart playground and the basketball court, would be reserved for exclusive access of the school during school hours under the proposed changes.
There are also a number of parking changes proposed in order to make way for the new school, which include a bus drop-off zone, 15-minute drop spots and two-hour parking spots.
Dobbelsteyn said the recommended changes to the park will come before council later this year or early next year for their feedback and final approvals.
In the meantime, you can still have your say through the Shape Your City Saint John website.
