Best Wishes and Happy New Year 2018 !

BHA Staff were having a blast last week while celebrating at our annual Christmas Party.  With no new snow on the forecast, and in a pure Whistler tradition, we dressed up for a fun photoshoot!  Old racing skis, onesies, flashy colors and many laughs later, we captured a few good pictures that were then used to create the 2017 BHA xmas e-card.  Here’s a behind the scene picture from the making of.

As we eagerly slide into another Holiday Season in the busy Whistler Valley, we would like to take a moment and offer our warmest greetings for the season.  May your holidays be bright and fun!

From the BHA Team: Brent, Nancy, Sue, Christine, Kyle, Alix, Matt & Ryan.

Original Picture

… After some Christmas Magic “Special Effects”

 

 

BHA was pleased to received the official announcement from Sioux City and our colleagues at SEH about the Sioux City Cone Park Grand Opening scheduled for December 19th 2017.

From 2015 to 2016, BHA worked in concert with SEHV&KTorrent Eng and RRC to create the plans for this brand new all-season park located in Sioux City, Iowa.  It is a pleasure to see how the plans came to realities, with a high tech LED lighting system and on-hill music, a modern all-season lodge with a cozy outdoor fire pit overlooking the hill, a refrigerated ice skating rink that will convert into a splash pad in the Summer and of course the tube park, Cone Park is fully ready to receive its first guests!

Cone Park Lodge.  SEH December 2017

CONE PARK OPENING DATE

Ribbon Cutting: Tuesday, December 19 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Park Opening: Thursday, December 21 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

View from the top of the Tube Park, Sioux City Cone Park. SEH December 2017

for more information

http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/snow-making-in-full-force-at-cone-park-as-city/article_ce0636ec-4c23-5bde-8a2f-3e63a28a4b41.html

and

https://www.sioux-city.org/government/departments-g-p/parks-recreation-department/cone-park#ad-image-0

The BHA Landscape Architecture team was pleased to join their fellow LA colleagues at the 4th Annual Whistler Fiesta. Hosted by the BC Society of Landscape Architects, this holiday time celebration brought together professional Landscape Architects from the Sea to Sky Corridor for a casual gathering. Good laughs and good times were part of the evening, along with reminiscing about past projects, and of course everyone’s latest ski story! Landscape Architecture is a small profession with a broad practice range and it is fascinating to reconnect with our peers and see what the latest industry news and trends are.

For more information about Landscape Architecture

http://www.bcsla.org/

https://aapq.org/

http://www.csla-aapc.ca/csla-aapc

Envisioned as a regional all-season recreation hub, construction of Cone Park in Sioux City, Iowa is well underway and the opening day is tentatively planned for the Christmas break – December 2017.   In 2015, BHA was selected as the recreation and master planning specialist on a multi-disciplinary team charged with putting together this extensive all-season park project.  With opening day only a few weeks away, the lodge, tube park, and snowmaking system are almost ready to go.  The BHA team had the opportunity to work collaboratively with the staff at Sioux City Parks and Recreation to create a plan that offers a diverse and unique recreation opportunity for the many young families of the area.  As the project progresses, we at BHA continue to be amazed and heartened by the growing enthusiasm for this new all-season park, and are eager to see Cone Park open its door to the public.

This great project was a collaboration between BHA and the professionals from SEHV&KTorrent Eng. and RRC.

 

For more information

http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/cone-park-lodge-ahead-of-schedule-park-could-open-by/article_6ad04d26-fe0a-5fe0-8a6a-4b88dc168ef0.html

and

http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/city-council-establishes-cone-park-fees/article_0c1d899d-6751-5b63-a9e0-47a745fa8d10.html

Cone Park Snowmaking System Installation

It’s 8 AM at the bottom of the gondola and the lifts are about to be cracked open.  The bright smiles of the crowd belie the crisp, pale Monday morning.  You can feel the excitement in the air.  Familiar faces and friends, the whole town is here, even your boss is here!  Living and working in a community that embraces the mountain culture is inspiring indeed.

So, if you call the office one snowy morning and there is no answer… don’t worry!  We will call you back shortly.  In the meantime, we hope that you are also making time for some fresh tracks (or whatever puts a smile on your face), and don’t forget to share the love!

BHA Fresh Tracks 2017

Going for a few laps this morning? BHA team enjoying some skiing and snowboarding.

Great news in Big White! The resort’s employees will soon have new housing available to them. Offering direct connection to the village, skiing facilities and work place, the first building is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in 2018. BHA worked with the Big White team to develop a multi-phase plan which included the site layout and grading, in addition to rezoning and development documentation. The modular construction, the attention to environmental impact and the resort’s active involvement in providing affordable housing to their employees brings this project in line with Big White’s vision and long term sustainability plan. This is a timely development as it comes during a period when the housing situation in BC is of growing concern.

For more information on this project which aims to efficiently house the resort’s employees while offering a great lifestyle to its residents, see the links below:

https://www.go2hr.ca/articles/big-white-builds-new-staff-accommodations-address-housing-challenges

https://www.bigwhite.com/explore-big-white/blog/mountain-news/big-white-ski-resort-invests-35m-new-staff-accommodation

Big White Staff Housing under construction

 

As highlighted in the local newspaper  https://www.orangeville.com/news-story/7051636-whistler-olympic-park-designer-drafts-bold-plan-for-mansfield-ski-club/  the BHA team was selected to complete a full master plan exercise with Mansfield Ski Club (MSC).   MSC and BHA have been working together since 2015 on a variety of projects to provide a balanced, authentic experience to the club members and visitors.  The Club, located 2 hours from Toronto, is one of the most renowned and oldest ski racing clubs of the province.  As such, the long standing traditions coupled with strong family and community ties, helped craft the new master plan details.  BHA also used 3D modeling, detailed analyses as well as the latest ski industry standards and trends to help MSC achieve a powerful vision for the club sustainability.  Lift realignment, refurbishing of the existing ski runs and upgrade of the ski product, development of resort residential neighbourhood, base area design and all-season plans were all part of the blueprint.   The first steps toward the realization of the master plan was the development of two new ski runs and the new triple chairlift installation in the Summer of 2016.  It was followed by the construction of the first residential unit in January 2017.

For more information on Mansfield Ski Club

http://www.mansfieldskiclub.com/

As part of an ongoing effort, the RMOW is putting together initiatives to answer to the many challenges faced by Whistler as a resort community.  Parallel to that, BHA was engaged by WDC to undertake detailed site analyses and envisioning exercises of the potential lands available for employee housing, institutional and recreation developments.  The plans were presented last night at the well attended RMOW’s Community Forum held at the Whistler Conference Center.  BHA plans highlighted the vision, goals and objectives for potential housing development along with graphics and mapping summary.  Following the work completed by BHA in 2005 for the Olympic Legacy Master Plan, this resident restricted housing planning exercise is now moving toward the 2020 Whistler Vision and the existing community realities.  Last night, RMOW’s Community Forum goals were to present the latest findings and initiatives as well as collecting the community input on transit, housing and the economic development situation.

For more information:

https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/hundreds-turn-out-for-community-forum/Content?oid=5328634

https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/rmow-targets-1000-new-beds-over-five-years/Content?oid=4762186

https://www.whistler.ca/media/news/whistlers-housing-task-force-provides-updates-and-recommendations

BHA plans at the RMOW Community Forum

Well attended Community Forum

We held our first Steering Committee meeting today for the Pemberton Valley Trails Master Plan. We’re excited to work on this latest Trails Master Plan just up the road from Whistler. With a wealth of existing trails and great potential for the future, we look forward to working with government, stakeholders, and community members to develop a plan that will shape the future of recreation in the region.

One Mile Lake Park – A beautiful, sunny fall day

The Cone Park Lodge, a major component of the Sioux City’s All-Season Cone Park Master Plan, is nearing completion and may open for the 2017/2018 winter season.  The Lodge will serve as the hub for the future Cone Park guests ice skating or tubing on the adjacent slopes, offering a warm spot to relax, warm up, and recharge.  The Lodge will also be used as an all-season community hub for events or private functions, such as weddings.

BHA was brought onto the Cone Park Master Plan as the Recreation and Park Planner to provide an assessment of the physical realities of the site, and develop an integrated, well-balanced site plan.  This great project was a collaboration between BHA and the professionals from SEH, V&K, Torrent Eng. and RRC.

The preferred concept linked a lite ice skating rink and tube park, snowboarding and skiing facilities, multi-use trails, and splash pad for summer, with an accessible base and parking area. The completion of the Cone Park Lodge represents the next step towards the realization of the Master Plan for Cone Park.

The Lodge’s progress is showcased in the Sioux City Journal.