Great to hear that the court will be relocated in close proximity to the existing amenity. Please be sure to provide a water fountain and bench area. Pairing this with neighbouring tennis court and/or splash pad would serve the community well and increase multigenerational usage of the space, which improves safety and sense of community commitment to upkeep.
Benches will be provided however a water fountain has not been planned as part of the scope as this is not currently available at the existing location.
It is a good idea, a better one than just simply replacing the court with the Hydrogen fueling station without any compensation for the players who like playing outdoors. The court does seem a bit too close to the road (Health Sciences Mall) and the parking spaces; although the chances are slim with the high fence, balls bouncing out of the court can still be a hazard and cause damage / harm. So maybe put some distance between the parking spaces, the road / pedestrian pathway along Health Sciences Mall, and the court. Another way to solve this problem might be to have more space on both sides of the court to add some benches, though that can be a danger as well to the players resting inside. It is not clearly seen on the plan, but perhaps a second door / opening that is on the other side of the current opening may benefit the players who wish to enter / exit from another side of the court instead of having to walk a greater distance when one court is full. A side comment. Please ensure that the ground is flat before beginning to pave the ground for the basketball court. The current Thunderbird court has this issue in the elevation of the ground, where one side is slightly lower than the other side, and that can affect players' performance. Additionally, please also ensure that the court hoops are of good quality that can't be moved around easily. Other than everything does look good! Thank you.
We believe the proposed location is appropriate as the distance between the new court and Health Sciences mall is 8.8m while the existing is 7.5m away from Thunderbird Boulevard.
The proposed fence height is 15’ which we believe would be adequate to protect cars in the parking lot area from unintentional stray balls. The proposed layout aims to minimize the number of lost stalls and has been reviewed by UBC Parking with no requests for increased fence height.
A second access point on the opposite side of the proposed would not be possible. The fence opening cannot be located in the middle of the court as it would increase the risk of balls bouncing off the court towards Health Sciences Mall. An opening at the end of the court facing Health Sciences Mall would impact the existing trees as a new pathway would be required to connect it to the sidewalk. We also could not create an opening on the fence towards the parking lot due to increased risk to cars and pedestrians.
It is not possible to provide an entirely flat surface as the pavement needs to allow for drainage towards the existing catch basins.
The intent is to relocate the existing hoops to the new court so conditions will remain the same as existing. If not feasible then new hoops similar to existing will be installed.
Great to hear that the court will be relocated in close proximity to the existing amenity. Please be sure to provide a water fountain and bench area. Pairing this with neighbouring tennis court and/or splash pad would serve the community well and increase multigenerational usage of the space, which improves safety and sense of community commitment to upkeep.
Benches will be provided however a water fountain has not been planned as part of the scope as this is not currently available at the existing location.
