A family takes part in one of the natural obstacles at the community consultation. (submitted photo/Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds)

By Derek Craddock

PARTICIPARK

Residents of La Ronge give feedback on proposed ParticiPARK

Jul 18, 2023 | 11:00 AM

Residents of La Ronge were given a chance to share their thoughts on the design for a proposed new park in the area, courtesy of ParticipACTION.

On July 9, the group along with Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds held an event to help consult families on what they would like to see in the new ParticiPARK.

“We’re sort of the premier experts on that connection to nature from a design perspective for physical health, for communities, for our elders, for our young children and for their parents,” Adam Bienenstock the founder of Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds, said.

ParticiPARK is a project organized by ParticipACTIOn and funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The aim is to create a park space with low-barrier outdoor movement opportunities for everyone.

Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds have been building outdoor learning and play spaces for more than two decades, specializing in the importance of nature and outdoor activity.

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They have designed outdoor parks in cities like Toronto, San Francisco, and Holland, Michigan.

“This is something that ParticipACTION has known for some time and it’s the way in which we have designed parks for the last two decades and had gotten a reputation for designing.”

Bienenstock said meeting with community members was important to help with their design.

“We can then take it from there and come back with the design and present it back and go through some iterations so that the people in La Ronge get something that is relevant to them and that ticks all the boxes,” he said.

La Ronge is only one of four communities in all of Canada to be approved for a ParticiPARK design, with Winnipeg, Brampton, and Fredericton.

Bienenstock said La Ronge is a good location for one of the parks.

“It’s actually one of these places that I’ve wanted to go for a while, and I’ve been in Saskatoon and then worked there before and some of the most beautiful land in the country is where you are. It should be something that’s very unique to your place, to your community.”

Bienenstock and his team will take the feedback from the July 9 event and come up with a design for the park. Right now, there’s no timeline for construction.