Sunnyridge Park in Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario is located at the eastern terminus of Main Street. The park officially opened in 2017 and has a unique “Urban Park” design with features such as tennis courts, playgrounds, fields, picnic areas, accessible splash pad waterpark for kids and public washrooms.
Sunnyridge Park cost $8 million to build which was funded mostly by the federal government.
Its amenities include playgrounds, picnic areas, splash pad waterpark for kids, public washrooms (open seasonally), athletic field with tennis courts and an off-leash dog area. The park has also been designed in accordance with accessibility standards.
The park is named after Sunnyridge which was a neighbourhood in Whitchurch-Stouffville. The name of the neighbourhood was registered as a trademark by the Stouffville Family Skating Club, an arena in Whitchurch–Stouffville that existed from 1942 to 2016.
The skating club eventually changed its name to the Stouffville Family YMCA. The neighbourhood was also home to Sunnyridge Public School which opened in 1956 and closed in 2002.
In March 2014, a tender was awarded to Canam Group for the construction of Sunnyridge Park. Construction began on September 24, 2016, and cost $8 million which was funded by the federal government with additional funds provided by York Region.
The park officially opened on October 5, with some celebratory events that were scheduled throughout the day.
The park features a large meadow with benches and picnic areas as well as tennis courts for playing sports. There are also several playgrounds that have been designed with accessibility standards in mind and an off-leash dog area that features garbage cans and pet drinking fountains to accommodate its visitors. In addition, there is a splash pad waterpark for kids which offers areas where one can “soak” in shallow waters or get fully wet from a tall water feature. The splash pad waterpark also has wheelchair-accessible ramps to accommodate users.
The off-leash dog area is situated on the east side of Sunnyridge Park and is divided into two parts by an access road for vehicles. One section features a large grass field while the other is paved with asphalt and concrete which was designed to provide low-impact areas for dogs who have joint problems or are older in age.
To the west of the park, there will be a future development that will consist of townhouses as well as recreational trails upon completion in the near future. York Region plans to begin construction on this $5 million project in the summer after getting funding approved from both levels of government last year.
Some of the recreational activities perfect during a visit in the park you and your family can enjoy are:
Kiddie rides – At the top of this slide for kids below age 12, you can climb onto a spinning ring and spin around. You can slide through a tube to reach the bottom or crawl on top of it. Another choice is to step up and into one of two cars that have bucket seats attached. These travel down three slides before you get where you are going.
Park Nature Trail – A nature path winds its way along part of Sunnyridge Park and provides an opportunity for students to learn about natural features such as plants, trees and wildlife in Whitchurch-Stouffville’s Urban Park design.
You will find several benches with picnic tables here along the way so that friends/family members can enjoy a meal together. The trail is also equipped with an accessibility ramp and a boardwalk that allows for access to the water park from the middle of it.
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