Port Coquitlam approves $73 million for local rehabilitation and recreation projects

The new slabs of sidewalk and artificial turf are not going to pay for themselves. 

On Tuesday afternoon, Port Coquitlam council approved a $73 million plan to cover the costs of rehabilitating neighbourhoods — such as streets and sewer systems — and developing new recreation projects over the next two years. 

“Our capital program will deliver real improvements that will make Port Coquitlam an even better place to call home.” Mayor Brad West wrote in a statement. 

The funding comes from a combination of the city’s reserve funds, revenue, and grants. 

In 2024, specifically, $40 million will go towards finishing upgrades at Leigh Square, the construction of a new soccer hub at Gates Park, and new traffic signals at multiple intersections including Riverside Dr. and Amazon Dr. 

Next year, the city is also hoping to use a portion of that money to build a new 6.5-kilometre long trail, resembling the Coquitlam Crunch hike, that connects Citadel Heights to ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park.

“I’m incredibly excited that the city is in the position to deliver this,” West stated at the Dec. 5 meeting. 

“The City of Coquitlam has provided a very popular amenity through the Coquitlam Crunch, having something akin to that, though not exactly the same, in Port Coquitlam is going to be really well received.” 

The trail, which is expected to be named through a public contest, is going to include a new crosswalk on Shaughnessy Street and 200 sets of stairs. 

Also part of the 2024 budget, Port Coquitlam has planned to install artificial turf in the Jon Baillie Arena — something West believes would allow the Port Coquitlam Community Centre to host more indoor sporting events in the future. 

“It would set us apart from just about every city in the Lower Mainland,” he said. 

Coun. Steve Darling echoed his support for the turf, adding that the surface would increase safety for youth who are currently playing indoor lacrosse on concrete.  

“It’s a hard floor when you hit the ground,” Darling said. “Having that floor, especially in Arena 1, where games and tournaments are, it’s going to be fantastic.” 

Other expenses in the 2024 capital project plan include updating the Cedar Drainage pump station, and a new rain barrel pilot program, an initiative where residents can collect and store runoff in a tank. 

In 2025, the city has allocated over $33 million to tackle upgrades to Sun Valley pool, the Maple Drainage pump station, and Kingsway Ave. 

Port Coquitlam is also hoping to expand trail networks that year. 

To MUP, or not to MUP

A proposed plan to build a 50 metre multi-use pathway (MUP) on Birchland Ave. drew mixed reactions and was deferred by council.

The plan, which would have seen a roughly three-metre wide path constructed on Birchland from Coast Meridian Rd. to Rosewood St., was expected to cost about $150,000. 

Although the city would have been on the hook for only $50,000, as $100,000 was slated to be covered by a TransLink grant, the price tag seemed to be high for West. 

“A hundred and fifty thousand for a 50 metre [MUP] does seem like a significant cost,” he said. 

He said that the city should explore the possibility of extending the existing sidewalk — which ends less than halfway down Birchland Avenue — and use the TransLink money on a different project, such as upgrades to Kingsway Ave. 

Darling and Coun. Paige Petriw echoed West’s statement. 

“I feel a bit like the world has gone MUP crazy,” Petriw said, adding that a sidewalk would be a better fit for Birchland Ave.

“It’s such a small stretch, so [it makes sense] to have a sidewalk and on-street cycling.” 

Coun. Nancy McCurrach, however, said the street is in desperate need of some sort of pedestrian infrastructure that connects the roughly 250 homes in the neighbourhood to Coast Meridian. 

“The other day, just as I was pulling out, a lady was walking on the road because there is no sidewalk,” she said.  

Although she supported the deferral, McCurrach pushed for the city to address the issue again next year. 

City staff will report back to council with suggestions on how to improve the street at a later date. 

Ultimately, all projects in the two-year budget will be adopted in May, along with the 2024 budget and the city’s five-year financial plan.