Pitt Meadows to break ground on $18.7M Athletic Park expansion

The City of Pitt Meadows is set to break ground on a major expansion of its Athletic Park, moving ahead with a long-planned project aimed at transforming the site into a centralized sports hub for the community.

Council formally advanced the project at its March 31 meeting, following the awarding of a $12.27-million construction contract to Cedar Crest Lands Ltd., marking a key milestone in a multi-year planning process that dates back to the city’s 2021 Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan.

Mayor Nicole MacDonald described the project as “a long time coming,” highlighting both the community demand and the role of provincial funding in moving it forward.

“We hear repeatedly about floor space – whether it’s lacrosse or pickleball or floor hockey – so having that covered space is going to be significant,” she said. “This is something we can get really excited about.”

Construction is expected to begin in the coming weeks, and is slated to be complete by the end of 2026, depending on weather conditions.

The expansion represents a combined $18.7 million investment, funded in part by nearly $5.4 million received from the province’s Growing Communities Fund in 2023, and will significantly increase the park’s capacity for organized sport and community use.

Once complete, the upgraded facility will include two new artificial turf fields, a covered multi-sport box, an accessory building with washrooms and changerooms, field lighting, spectator seating and a new parking lot. The design also emphasizes improved connectivity between the park, nearby amenities and the Pitt Meadows Arena complex.

City staff said the project has been shaped by several years of public engagement, including surveys, open houses and consultations with local user groups.

“Overall, this layout reflects the valuable inputs that we gathered through the community engagement process,” said Alice Gu, project manager, noting that detailed design work was completed in 2025 before the project went out to tender.

Seven bids were received from pre-qualified contractors, ranging from roughly $12.3 million to $16 million. Staff selected Cedar Crest based on a combination of price, experience and project delivery capacity.

Council members voiced strong support for the project, pointing to growing demand for sports infrastructure in the community.

Coun. Alison Evans noted the expansion comes at a critical time due to the loss of athletic field space at Pitt Meadows Secondary.

“It was exciting to see those renderings,” said Coun. Alison Evans. “It’s a beautiful addition to our facilities, and we know there’s a demand for more sports infrastructure … so it’s quite timely.”

Environmental considerations were also raised during council discussion, particularly around runoff from synthetic turf fields.

Gu said the design includes mitigation measures such as low-point sumps to capture particles, swales to prevent migration to adjacent properties, and a hydrodynamic separator to treat runoff from hard surfaces before it leaves the site.

To prepare for construction, early site work, including excavation and soil removal, has already been completed, allowing the project to move quickly into its next phase once crews mobilize.

The city says temporary impacts such as closures, detours and parking changes may occur during construction, with updates to be provided through a dedicated project webpage.

When finished, officials say the expanded Pitt Meadows Athletic Park will serve as a year-round, multi-use destination designed to support athletes, families and local sports organizations for years to come.