A preliminary master plan of an updated Confederation Park unveiled Jan. 20 during a public information session at Lakeland Community Centre, includes more green space; closing the go kart facility and replacing it with a naturalized area and trail system; expanding Adventure Village; adding educational areas with more trails and paths; expanding Wild Waterworks; eliminating the camping area; constructing an inn and; building an ice track during winter and a sports field.

A survey conducted by the HCA last summer found about 2,200 people from across the province use the waterfront trail per day. The HCA wants to keep these people in Confederation Park.

Access to the park will also be enhanced when the $14-million signature bridge over the QEW is completed in October, which will link the Red Hill Valley trail system to the waterfront.

“It is a development that is a compromise for people who want to do things,” said Ward 5 councillor Chad Collins, which represents the area. “We don’t want to develop the area too much so people don’t want to come here. We want to make this a destination park and respect the natural area.”

One of the more visible changes the plan proposes is relocating the park’s entrance from Van Wagners Beach Road to the intersection of Centennial Parkway and the North Service Road.

Glenn O’Connor, of Consultants Inc., hired by the HCA to oversee the updated Confederation Park design, said the idea is to extend bus transportation along Centennial Parkway into the park to reduce vehicle use.

“I think we have struck a balance between the activities and green space,” said O’Connor. “It’s not just the quantity of the green space, but the quality. They will be richer, more diverse.”

O’Connor said HCA officials want to keep people who visit the park in the area to enjoy the activities rather than just use the water park than go somewhere else in the city.

“We want to bring the facility together as a centralized village,” said O’Connor.

Judy Kloosterman of Stoney Creek, was supportive of the plan, except the idea for the HCA to continue charging for parking.

“I think it’s terrible we have to pay to enjoy the waterfront,” she said.

O’Connor said HCA is proposing to consolidate all its parking areas into one location.

Bob Coxon, who lives on Queenston Road, applauded the plan but urged the HCA to clean up the park. He also suggested planting trees to improve the air quality, especially in the summer.

“This is a great place for families,” he said. “But they need to do something about the pollution.”

O’Connor said during the session, which attracted about 50 people to the presentation, the campground was becoming tired and “not meeting the demand” of the public. In addition, the HCA, which operates Fifty Point Conservation Area is expanding that campground, which also accommodates RVs.

O’Connor said one idea is constructing a high-quality inn so people can stay overnight at the park.

A few people at the meeting expressed misgivings about the idea, saying they didn’t want a “seedy” hotel in the area.

O’Connor confirmed a hotel is not a preferred use in the park and a rezoning application would be required from the city.

While Confederation Park has been on a list of possible locations for a stadium to accommodate the Pan Am Games and eventually the Hamilton Tiger-Cats football team, this was not included in the plan.

Residents and Councillor Chad Collins are opposed to the idea and O’Connor said a stadium is “not appropriate” for the area.

There is no price tag yet for what is expected to be a multi-year, phased-in makeover of the park, said O’Connor.

Collins, a member of the HCA board of directors, envisions a five-to-10 year plan, with council approving it this year. Construction could begin in early 2011, he said.

The city owns the park, but it is managed by the HCA. O’Connor confirmed funding for renovations would come from revenues from the HCA, the City of Hamilton and private businesses that use the park. The HCA earns most of its revenue from Wild Waterworks and parking.

A final report on the park’s redesign will be ready for approval by the HCA and council in March. A public meeting on the report may be held before going to the respective agencies.

To see the preliminary plans for Confederation Park, visit www.conservationhamilton.ca .