Case Study: Ank’idaa Community Recreation and Leisure Park
Location: Laxgalts'ap, BC
Project Type: Community Park & Splash Pad
Highlights:
- Community-Focused: With a playground, splash pad, outdoor fitness, walking path, and basketball court, people of all ages and abilities can enjoy the space!
- Take Fitness Outdoors: KOMPAN outdoor fitness equipment provides a free, accessible space for anyone in the community looking to work on their fitness.
- Splashy Fun: A Waterplay splash pad creates tons of splashy fun for those looking to beat the heat in the summer.
- Amazing Play Value: With multiple play areas, including the playground and splash pad, this park created tons of play value for the community.
When the small community of Laxgalts’ap began rapidly expanding their housing to help bring people back to the area, they realized that something was missing. If they were asking families with children to move back to town, they had to provide some sort of outdoor park space for them to enjoy! Having seen the influx of people choosing to leave the city to put down roots in the small community, the Community of Laxgalts’ap knew they had to create a space that everyone would be able to enjoy.
With an idea of what they wanted already growing – a brand-new community playground and splash pad, complete with an outdoor basketball court, walking paths, and other site furnishings - Parkworks was brought into the project to help bring their vision to life.
After months of collaboration, the Ank'idaa Community Recreation and Leisure Park was completed in 2024 and has already proven to be a staple in the community. Families travel from neighbouring towns and villages to enjoy everything the new park has to offer, and residents of Laxgalts’ap are delighted to have such a robust outdoor play space in their own backyard.
The Challenge
A small, remote community of around 500 people, Laxgalts’ap has seen immense amounts of growth over the past few years, which prompted the community to rapidly expand their housing in order to accommodate those growing numbers. As the town services multiple surrounding communities, they wanted to create recreational amenities that would benefit the entire Nisga’a community. They also knew that they wanted to go big with whatever they built, so they wouldn’t have to continue to expand as the community grew.
With an idea of what they wanted already established – a brand-new community playground and splash pad, complete with an outdoor basketball court, walking paths, and other site furnishings - Parkworks was brought into the project to help bring their vision to life.
Throughout the design process, the Community of Laxgalts’ap expressed that the salmon fish is very important to both the community and their culture. The client came to the table with an extensive wish list, and over the course of a year and a half and working with Parkworks’ expert designers, they were able to bring forth a concept design that everyone loved and that they were confident would serve the community far into the future. Using the salmon as the inspiration behind the design, Parkworks Design Lead, Desiree Bunn, was able to develop a design concept that everyone loved.
“The park design seeks to celebrate the cultural heritage and fishing traditions of the Nisga’a people and their strong ties to the land and water. Inspired by this local tradition, the park is shaped in the form of a fish jumping at the moment it bites the hook on the end of a line."
“Pathways were designed to follow the meandering line while still allowing clear sightlines across the park. The playground is fully accessible with poured in place rubber surfacing that includes a playful fish inspired sensory pathway. The fitness area is meant for all users while the splash pad offers lots of action and fun water effects with fish inspired theming and details highlighting the pad and providing visual cohesiveness between the various parts of the park. A full sports court, washroom facility, gazebo and other site furnishings help make this space a place for everyone no matter the age or ability. A true destination playground that has families both young and old visiting this park time and time again," says Desiree Bunn, Parkworks Design Lead.
The Solution
Working closely with the village to determine their exact needs and wants, Parkworks was able to work with several of our fantastic manufacturers to bring the park to life through various playground and splash pad features, outdoor fitness equipment, an outdoor basketball court, and other site amenities. While the Community of Laxgalts’ap came to the table with a lot of ‘wants’, Parkworks was able to identify what would work best in the space they had, and through lots of collaboration were able to bring forth a beautifully designed park that checked all the boxes.
“Working through our extensive wishlist of what we wanted and really making it fit for us, in the actual construction of the park and then leading up to actual operation, there are always hiccups in projects like this,” says Drae Azak, Capital Housing Infrastructure Manager, Laxgalts’ap Village Government, “but MAKR does a really great job of actually following up with us and trying to make things right as soon as possible. We’ve had a great experience with them from start to finish.”
Utilizing KOMPAN’s wide range of products for the playground and outdoor fitness areas, Parkworks was able to bring loads of play value to the park. Spinner bowls, a Supernova, and swing set provide dynamic and inclusive play experiences for children. The Pikes Peak play structure ties the play space together with interactive elements and not one, but two slides! The robust outdoor fitness area includes a Combi 3 structure, a Leg Lift & Pull Up feature, and Twist & Flex Wheel that allows community members to get in a workout without having to hit the gym. Waterplay brought the splash pad to life with a Big Top Soaker that provides thrilling splashes, a Water O and two Splash Blasters for fun, interactive sprays, and loads of Ground Sprays to help keep kids cool during the hot summer months! A Fish Fellow helps tie in the salmon imagery that inspired the layout of the park and provides a fun focus point for the splash zone!
The Implementation
Due to the remote location of the Village of Laxgalts’ap, planning was critical to the successful creation and installation of the park. With almost no construction materials available locally, including concrete, having clear communication with everyone involved with the project was essential in making sure the entire install went smoothly. Parkworks’ project management team worked closely with the local general contractor and installation partners to bring the park to life.
Ank'idaa Community Recreation and Leisure Park transformed the space into a community hub, where families can come together and enjoy everything the park has to offer. The seating, gazebo, and washroom are all important elements of the space that allow everyone to stay as long as they’d like. The sports court, splash pad, and playground create thrilling play zones that children never want to leave and are always excited to come back to. Pathways and accessible surfacing choices help to ensure that the park is accessible to everyone.
When it came to designing a sign for the new park, the Community of Laxgalts’ap worked with local artist, Shawna Kiesman, to create a logo and sign that truly encapsulates the theme and spirit of this new community space! This project transformed a previously undeveloped piece of land into an inclusive, engaging, and fun park that the community is incredibly excited about and proud to have.
“To have this [park] available and for it to be large enough for everyone to enjoy it, it’s been pretty amazing.” - Alicia Adams, CFO (Laxgalts’ap Village Government).
The Outcome
From initial concept to completion, Parkworks worked closely with the Community of Laxgalts’ap to create a large recreation space that will be able to serve the growing community for years to come. The park has become an outdoor gathering space for everyone in the community and surrounding areas to enjoy, with a little something for everyone. Not only does the Ank'idaa Community Recreation and Leisure Park provide endless hours of fun for the residents of the village, but it will also help entice people to move back to the community and put down roots with their families in Laxgalts’ap.
Project Partners:
- Village of Laxgalts’ap - Drae Azak and Alicia Adams
- McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd.
- Parkworks Suppliers: Waterplay, KOMPAN, CXT, Cedar Forest Products, DuMor
- Contractors: Noble 5 Creek (Ted McCreery), Smithscape, Softline Solutions
- Shawna Kiesman – Logo designer for park
Looking to create a fun, inclusive, and active park space for your community? Let our team of experts guide you every step of the way! At Parkworks, we specialize in transforming spaces into thriving community hubs.
Contact us today to start building the park of your dreams!