Nunns Creek Park Development
CITY OF CAMPBELL RIVER
CAMPBELL RIVER SALMON FESTIVAL
C.R. MINOR BASEBALL ASSOCIATION
C.R. MEN’S BASEBALL TEAM
C.R. DOG FANCIERS
C.R. SKATEBOARDERS
NUNNS CREEK PARK DEVELOPMENT
(TRANSFORMATION OF THE “SWAMP”)
Many residents, particularly baseball players and fans can remember the nickname “The Swamp” for Nunns Creek Park with a great deal of frustration whenever it rained. It meant wet and soggy fields, sometimes for days after the rain and officials and players watching precious playing time slipping away. Then came the mad scramble for alternate times or places to make up those lost games before the season ended.
In 1990 the Minor and Senior Baseball associations and the Festival began to meet as Salmon Festival needed a new home for the Salmon Festival and Nunns Creek Park looked promising. With approval of the Baseball groups to relocate the Festival there, we began to explore ways to improve the conditions of the park to accommodate the needs of the respective groups. During these discussions the Campbell River Dog Fanciers and the Skateboarders joined the team and the Nunns Creek Park Development Committee was established. This committee then approached the City with a unique proposal to jointly develop the Park and the Municipality responded favorably. After several more meetings the Development Committee and City reached an agreement on the proposal and that Campbell River Festival take on the lead roll in the development project based on the following.
- The Festival was an established Federal Charity with a clear mandate toward recreation.
- The festival had previously completed a number of local improvement projects in the community.
- The Festival had established a good working relationship with City Council and staff members.
- The Festival already occupied Nunns Creek Park for its Loggers Sports in August.
In 1993 the Campbell River Festival entered into a “License of Occupation” agreement with the City of Campbell River to be on Nunns Creek Park to work with the City and other interested parties to enhance the facility. What followed has exceeded the initial expectations of the group and has evolved to be a true community driven development project with the value of improvements exceeding the million dollars ($1,000,000.00) mark.
As a partner in the development of the Park, the City was asked to provide 25% of the costs to transform “The Swamp” into a Premier Community Park and to date the City has invested $257,954.00 (23.5%) in cash, goods and services. The Park Development Group invested $219,389.00, Community Businesses $261,256.00, other Community Groups $171,720.00 and Grants from sources other than the City provided $188,660.00 in cash, goods & services. Because of this unique partnership arrangement over $800,000.00 did not have to come from city taxpayer dollars and the community now enjoys a much-improved Park. Most importantly, it demonstrates what can be accomplished when the City, Community groups, local businesses and volunteers work together.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE
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Major baseball field rebuild,Adequate electrical system,Temporary office & storage
Minor Bambino field rebuild,Skateboard Park,Clean up of wooded area
Farm League field repairs,Horseshoe Pitch,Loggers Sports Grounds
New Minor Bambino field,Front parking lot improvements,Municipal sanitary sewer
New T-Ball field,Improved park drainage,Park landscaping
Major baseball field lights,Improved irrigation,Bleachers
Additional green space,Nature Trails and bridges,Additional fencing
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NUNNS CREEK PARK DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
The first order of business in transforming the “SWAMP” was trucking in many thousands of yards of fill and installing adequate drainage to eliminate the water problems associated with the baseball fields and other areas of the Park.
1992
Permanent Loggers Sports grounds were established on the east side of Nunns Creek Park Two 100 foot climbing trees were raised and a 30ft X 30ft birling pond was dug into the ground.
1993
Salmon Festival signs 25 year License of Occupation agreement with City.
Work begins on the rebuild of the Major Baseball Field with the trucking in of fill. New field was turned 90 degrees from existing to provide space for a new Bambino field and was built to major league standards.
The Park electrical system is rebuilt increasing it from 60 amps to 400 amps.
With the help of Ironwood Mall, Social Services program workers and Festival volunteers a trail, complete with bridge, from Ironwood Mall to Nunns Creek Park was opened.
Horseshoe pitches were added to park.
1993 Development Contributions:
Development Group – $37,000 Businesses ———— $69,000 City ———————– $43,500 Grants ——————- $69,000
1994
Major Baseball Field work was completed and officially opened at the 1st game of the 1994 baseball season.
New Bambino Field was constructed.
A Festival office was established at Nunns Creek Park to allow onsite administration of Salmon Festival and Park development.
Work begins on the construction of a Skateboard Park by trucking in fill to raise the area approximately 3 feet.
Work began on the lights for the Major Baseball Field.
1994 Development Contributions:
Development Group — $45,000
Service Clubs ———-$ 6,000
Businesses ———— $70,000
City —————— $71,500
Grants ————— $59,000
1995
Skateboard Park officially opened.
8,000 yards of fill is trucked in to raise the parking lot and Minor Bambino Baseball Field. Un-seasonal rains delay work on the Minor Bambino Field for the rest of the year.
Work begins on the T-Ball and Farm League Baseball Fields with the trucking in of more fill.
Work continues on the lights for the Major Field. 
Park aesthetics are improved by establishing flowerbeds and planting shrubs.
Plans are drawn up for new washroom facilities and presented to the City.
1995 Development Contributions:
Development Group — $45,000
Businesses ———– $66,000
City —————— $30,000
Grants ————— $18,500
1996
Lights for the Major Ball Field completed in time for the Minor Baseballs Northwest
Regional Tournament with teams from British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Southern Oregon went on to the Senior Babe Ruth World Series.
Work on the Parking Lot and Minor Bambino Field is delayed by rain until early summer.
Main Park electrical system is upgraded to 600 amp to meet power demands during the Dog Show and Salmon Festival.
United Fishermen begin first stage of nature trail system. Completed system will be 2 miles of nature trails with 8 bridges. 3000 evergreens are also planted in the forested area of the Park.
C.R. Railroad Society approaches Salmon Festival with proposal to construct a miniature railway in the Park. Although approval is obtained the cost of insurance, as people could ride it, was prohibitive.
1996 Development Contributions:
Development Group – $12,500
Businesses ———- $43,000
United Fishermen — $75,000
City —————- $65,000
Grants ————- $25,000
1997
Work is finally completed on the Minor Bambino Field, but not in time for the ball season. More time is required for the grass to be properly established and fencing to be installed.
Farm League field was completed and ready for the 1997 season.
United Fishermen complete work on the Nature Trails and open them to the public.
More improvements are made to the Loggers Sports Grounds for the show in August.
1997 Development Contributions:
Development Group – $22,000
Businesses ———- $ 5,500
City —————– $25,500
United Fishermen — $75,000
1998
New T-Ball Field was ready for the 1998 baseball season.
More improvements were made to the Loggers Sports Grounds.
Minor Baseball constructs new storage/bleacher facility and the Shrine Club donates bleachers for the Park.
More improvements were made to drainage system by the Municipality and Park users groups.
1998 Development Contributions:
Development Group – $10,000
Businesses ———– $ 5,600
City —————– $19,500
Grants————— $17,000
1999
United Fishermen make improvements to trail system, plant more trees and do stream work with Greenways to improve the spawning potential of the creek.
Salmon Festival removes old storage trailer from the Park to improve aesthetics.
1999 Development Contributions:
Development Group – $ 3,000
City —————– $ 3,400
United Fishermen — $ 4,600
2000
Minor Baseball makes improvements to concession stand and storage facilities.
Old log barricades are removed and replaced with concrete curb units.
New washroom facilities still on hold due to tough economic conditions. Park user groups plan to meet with the Municipality to discuss this project and the extent of the Citys involvement since we have commitments from local businesses to assist with material and labour.
The City decided to remove the existing washrooms and install new units as a City project
2000 Development Contributions:
Development Group – $30,000
Businesses ———- $ 2,000
2009
The Logger Sports has become so popular that there is not sufficient seating for the spectators so a program was developed to rectify this situation.
2 – 5 tier bleachers were purchased for this years show and we planned to add 2 more each year.
2010
The City of Campbell River began a program to replace their old bleachers in Willow Point Park and Nunns Creek Park. Knowing the Salmon Festival required bleachers for the Logger Sports Grounds and the main frames were in sound condition they donated the old bleachers to the Salmon Festival. The Salmon Festival with the help of community lumber yards, began a program to replace the seats and footboards. 8 units were refurbished this year and the remaining 8 are scheduled for 2011. After all the units are refurbished the plans are to assemble them in a grandstand configuration.
The City of Campbell River rebuilt and fenced Baseball field #5 to meet the present field standards.
2011-2013
6 bleachers for the Logging Sports Grounds were refurbished with 2 remaining to be rebuilt in the next couple of years. It is hoped that the bleachers in the grounds can be rearranged to better serve the public.
2016
2 more bleachers are being rebuilt and 4 old units will be retired
PARK DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTERS
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City of Campbell River,Campbell River Minor Baseball ,C.R. Dog Fanciers
C.R. Skateboard Society,United Fishermen – NIFI,Senior Men’s Baseball
Doulyn’s Contracting,E-Teams,Social Services Work Groups
Tayco Paving,Discovery Crane,MacMillan & Bloedel
Tri-Mak Transport,Hennessey Equipment,Western Survey
Al & Sons Excavating,CARIHI School Students,Upland Ready Mix
Morm’s Backhoe,Island Ready Mix,Bakken Excavating
C & L Supply,A J Forsyth,Revelstoke Home Centre
Quadra Landscaping,Viking Transport,Badger Mini Excavating
Gough Electric,Boliden Westmin,Shamrock Fencing
C.R. Electric Ltd.,Jim Neise Backhoe,Discovery Roofing&Sheetmetal
Keen Lighting,Windsor Mill Sales,C.R. Metal Fabricators
B.C. Hydro,Western Supplies,Cloverdale Paints
Acklands Granger,Haida Freightways,Barrie Browm
M.M. Johnson Engineering,Jared Cement,Acme Concrete Pumping
Agra Earth & Environmental,Storm Hockey,Zeek Enterprize
Guillevin International,River Resourses,Shrine Club
Panziera Bros. Masonary,Ironwood Mall,United Rentals
Shrine Club,C.R. Precast Concrete,Heidema Engineering
Island Industrial Chrome,Fletcher Challenge, .
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