Overview
The Town of Georgina is always working to improve facilities and recreation amenities for residents. In fall 2021, staff launched the Pefferlaw Recreation Needs study to gather input from Ward 5 residents through two online surveys and an in-person public consultation at the Pefferlaw Lions Hall in November 2021. Based on the findings, several upgrades and installations were completed in 2023 and 2024.
Pump track and skatepark
The concrete skatepark is complete, the granular base for the north end of the track and start deck is complete, and a new security system with eight cameras has been installed. All other work including paving and site restoration is complete and the pump track and skatepark is now open.
Pump Track and Skatepark
Construction began the week of Aug. 21, 2023 on the new pump track and skatepark in Pefferlaw Park. It will be located southeast of the Pefferlaw Ice Pad and Sports Zone. The facility will be open to the public in July.
The design includes features for users of all skill levels, including those who are new to the sport. Users requested a larger pump track with a variety of riding options and directions. It will feature an expanded concrete skatepark and a junior loop off the main pump track.
The Pefferlaw Pump Track and Skatepark was designed to meet the Town of Georgina's Facility Accessibility Design Standards (2017). It will increase opportunities for accessibility in outdoor spaces for disabled youth and adults in the community. A pump track is a circuit of rolls, banked turns and features designed to be ridden by users through a “pumping” technique—generating momentum by up and down body movements (i.e. not pedaling or pushing). This flowing terrain is accessible to all ability levels (including beginner riders, disabled riders) and provides an exciting user experience for skateboarders, bikes, scooters, roller bladers, and sports wheelchairs. The design includes a dedicated junior track off the main track to provide an opportunity for users of all abilities to enjoy the sport.
The project includes new accessible site furnishings for spectators, as well as improvements to the recreational trail system for park users. The Town is renovating the park washrooms to provide barrier-free access including installing two accessible automatic doors and a ramp. The park is currently served by a washroom facility that is wheelchair inaccessible. Renovations will be completed in June.
The concrete skatepark is complete, the granular base for the north end of the track and start deck is complete, and a new security system with eight cameras has been installed. All other work including paving and site restoration will be completed in June of 2024.
Pefferlaw Park is an ideal location for the pump track and skatepark as it is centrally located in Pefferlaw, highly visible, and is frequently visited by youth. With limited recreation opportunities for youth in Pefferlaw, this new facility will serve as an exciting central hub for youth in the eastern limits of Georgina.
Update to Council on Pefferlaw Pump Track and Skatepark, Nov. 8, 2023
Trail expansion and park amenities improvements
The pedestrian trail was expanded in fall 2024 to create a walking loop with outdoor fitness stations along the route. The design extended the existing limestone screening trail network to connect new recreation facilities into one cohesive space.
Community Garden
The Town worked with the Georgina-Brock Garden Club and the Pefferlaw Association of Ratepayers (PAR) since late 2022 to develop designs for a community garden in Pefferlaw. Barrier-free gardening was a consideration throughout the design to provide an opportunity for everyone to garden. The community garden includes a new limestone screening pedestrian pathway, at-grade garden plots, raised cedar garden beds of varying heights (18” and 30”) to accommodate those who have difficulty reaching and bending, a storage shed, a composter, an accessible picnic table/workbench, and two dwarf apple trees.
The Community Garden opened with a ribbon cutting in May 2023.
Sports Zone
The Pefferlaw Sports Zone is scheduled to open May 1, 2024 for all programming, weather permitting.
The new Sports Zone was built on the Pefferlaw Ice Pad at 38 Pete’s Lane, in Pefferlaw. The Sports Zone includes:
- Colourful athletic tile flooring
- One outdoor basketball court, two dedicated pickleball courts and one multi-purpose court for pickleball or short-court tennis (not regulation, shorter in length)
- Facility divider curtains to allow uninterrupted play between courts
- Facility signage for the Pefferlaw Ice Pad and Sports Zone
The Sports Zone creates new opportunities for outdoor, multi-purpose play in Pefferlaw by encouraging the use of an existing municipal facility during the spring, summer and fall seasons. Sports Zone equipment will be removed by staff seasonally as a refrigerated ice pad and skating rink each winter.
The Sports Zone opened in May 2023.
Recreation Needs Study
2014 Recreation Needs Study
In 2014, Council adopted the Recreation Needs study produced by Monteith Brown Planning Consultants. The key study objectives included facility rationalization, needs assessment and feasibility analysis. More than 40 recommendations were identified in the study while following guiding principles for the Town of Georgina’s future decision-making.
- Build a healthy community and foster active lifestyles.
- Provide inclusive, affordable and accessible recreational opportunities for all Georgina residents.
- Ensure that recreation and park facilities are multi-use, multi-generational and responsive to true needs.
- Encourage design and practices that promote energy efficiency and “green” technologies.
- Foster and support partnerships that create synergies and leverage resources.
- Make decisions that are financially responsible and sustainable for the Town and its residents, both existing and future.
Photos
Pump track and skatepark
Community Garden
Completed Sports Zone
Starting conditions - Pefferlaw Ice Pad
Proposed changes
Public engagement
Contact the following individual for additional information or to provide comments.
Town Contact
Courtney Rennie
Senior Project Manager, Parks and Open Space
Email: crennie@georgina.ca
Timeline
Timeline
- May 2025 – Ribbon cutting and grand opening for the active walking loop
- November 2024 – Completion of the trails expansion work for the active walking loop, including new outdoor fitness equipment stations, benches, and picnic tables
- June 2024 - The pump track and skatepark construction is complete
- August 2023 – Construction begins for the pump track and skatepark. Construction to be completed in June 2024
- May 2023 - The Sports Zone and new facility flooring is complete
- May 2023 – The Community Garden space is complete
- April 27, 2022 - Council approved the recommendations presented by staff for a new pump track and skate park, community garden, sports zone at the Pefferlaw Ice Pad, and other improvements to the trail system and other park amenities
- November 2021 - in-person public consultation forum held at the Pefferlaw Lions Hall.
- October 2021 - Staff initiated the Pefferlaw Recreation Needs study to engage Ward 5 residents through two online survey opportunities and one in-person public consultation forum.
- September 2021 - Council approved $1,446,750 in capital funding for recreation improvements in the Ward 5 area.
- 2020 - Council directed staff to engage the Ward 5 community to study the public needs and wants for recreation facilities, programs and services specific to Ward 5.
Documents
Important documents
Council reports
April 27, 2022 - Pefferlaw Recreation Need Study
April 27, 2022 - Online Survey and In Person Public Consultation Results
May 14, 2014 - Recreation facility needs study
May 14, 2014 - Facility needs study final report
May 14, 2014 - Recreation facility needs study presentation
Media releases
April 28, 2022 - Town approves new outdoor amenities for Pefferlaw
Oct. 6, 2021 - Town launches survey for Pefferlaw Recreation Needs Assessment Study