Pump Track Questions Answered

The Highlands Pump Track project was initiated in Fall 2022 by Highlands Community League through the City of Edmonton’s Neighbourhood Park Development Program (NPDP).

The project proposes that a small-scale pump track be built on the southeast side of the Gaby Haas Park site.

The project visions an inclusive amenity that is safe, accessible and allows for participation for multiple ages and physical abilities. 

A pump track is a circular loop consisting of rollers and berms, for wheeled sports equipment that when ridden properly, does not require peddling or pushing, but a “pumping” action to maintain momentum. 

Questions about this project were raised at the October 10, 2023 Highlands Community League board meeting. The questions and answers follow:  

Questions answered by the HCL and project team

The current concept drawings submitted by the contractor were for approximately $400,000 but further modifications and changes will be made so this is not a final cost. Through the NPDP project, The City of Edmonton will match up to $250,000.

A number of asphalt pump tracks have been built in Alberta in the last five years (to name a few: Yellowhead County, Calgary, High River). Asphalt is low maintenance in comparison to dirt or crushed rock and are resistant to water ingress and offer long-term durability. The asphalt surface also offers a versatile and inclusive environment that allows for an optimal riding experience for bike riders, skateboarders, and scooter enthusiasts. This promotes higher utilization amongst a wide range of user groups.

  1. Highlands Park
  2. Eastglen Park
  3. The area surrounding the community league

Fundraising must be completed by October 2024 and the project must be built by the end of 2025.

We wanted people to learn more about the project and see the concept drawings in order to make an informed decision about the project.

The idea was brought to the Highlands Community League Board by a member of the Highlands Community because they saw an opportunity to enhance the amenities in our community. The pump track has since been supported by Highlands residents through two phases of engagement.

The focus of the Strategy and Concept Phase engagement was with Highlands residents. With Bellevue and Montrose directly surrounding Highlands, there was an understanding that residents may not be aware of the neighbourhood boundaries. For the Strategy Phase survey, we added a demographics question to ensure a Highlands focus.

The Community League has supported a variety of mechanisms for engagement on the project including, flyers, posters, social media (numbers TBD), HCL enewsletter (approx 1250 people), survey, and in-person sessions. The survey asked takers to indicate their community of residence, and we trust that people would not misrepresent themselves.

In the Needs Assessment survey, a number of choices were given.

 

Sitting on a comfortable bench in the sunshine enjoying the community youth showing off their skills and being actively engaged would pass a wonderful afternoon. Please note that this answer was given by a senior.
 

Questions answered by the City

Although residents adjacent to the park offer an important voice and perspective, neighbourhood level parkland such as this serves the entire neighbourhood. All Highlands residents are key stakeholders in the project.

Multiple methods of engagement informed the Strategy Phase feedback, the mail drop being just one.

The NPDP process does not outline a mail drop standard. Groups are generally advised to complete one to residents adjacent to the park. Highlands Community League has acknowledged the gap in the mail drop in Strategy Phase and has ensured extra diligence in the Concept Phase.

Working on the information that the City of Edmonton had, the initial Strategy Phase engagement showed enough community support to explore the project idea further. This was only the first step in project engagement.

Moving a project from Strategy Phase to Concept Phase does not guarantee that the project will move forward. Rather, it allows for the project idea to be developed further. The Concept Phase materials are then brought back to the community for additional feedback, which helps inform project decisions.

The NPDP process requires the community group to lead the Strategy Phase and Public Engagement. Volunteer groups may have limited resources, both in volunteer time and available budget, and a mail drop throughout an entire community may not be feasible.

NPDP engagement can occur in multiple ways, including surveys, website and social media presence, signs and posters in the neighbourhood, school outreach and opportunities for in-person feedback.

The initial Strategy Phase engagement showed enough community support to explore the project idea further.

Moving a project from Strategy Phase to Concept Phase does not guarantee that the project will move forward. Rather, it allows for the project idea to be developed further. The Concept Phase materials are brought back to the community for additional feedback, which helps inform project decisions.

Neighbourhood-level parkland serves an entire neighbourhood. As potential park users, all residents in a neighbourhood have an important voice in a NPDP project, regardless of previous park usage. 

The focus of the Strategy Phase engagement was with Highlands residents. With Bellevue and Montrose directly surrounding Highlands, there was an understanding that residents may not be aware of the neighbourhood boundaries.
To ensure a Highlands focus, a demographics question was added to the Strategy Phase survey. The engagement results, included as part of the Strategy Phase package, indicated that 88.5% of adult survey respondents, or 121/137, were Highlands residents.

The Concept Phase engagement closed on October 9, 2023. Highlands Community League will create a ‘What We Heard Report’ to summarize the engagement results. It will be shared back with Highlands residents.

The project team, including the City of Edmonton and Highlands Pump Track Sub-committee, will meet to review the results and discuss next steps. Once a decision has been made to move the project forward to the next phase or not, it will be communicated to residents.

Even if the decision is to move forward, the required funding must be in place to move forward to each project phase.

The City of Edmonton moves forward in good faith with the Community Committee supporting the accuracy, completeness and quality of the data that is collected, and we encourage a variety of avenues for information to be collected and shared.

If the project moves forward, the site will be assessed appropriately by the City, to correspond to the proposed design supporting the site and future amenity stability.

After a one year warranty period, NPDP amenities enter into City of Edmonton inventory. Ongoing maintenance is completed by the City of Edmonton.

Any amenity built through the NPDP program becomes a City of Edmonton asset and is covered by the City of Edmonton’s insurance.

The City of Edmonton has strict rules in place surrounding project sponsorship. Corporate signage is not permitted on City of Edmonton parkland as a way of recognizing a sponsor.

Oftentimes in a NPDP project, the group will include one recognition piece (plaque, etc) to acknowledge project grantors, donors and sponsors. There are also parameters in place for recognition pieces.

According to Parkland Bylaw 2202, parkland is open between 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

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Highlands Community League respectfully acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional gathering place for diverse Indigenous peoples including the Cree, Blackfoot, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway/Saulteaux/Anishinaabe, Inuit, and many others whose histories, languages, and cultures continue to influence our vibrant community.

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