The playground replacement at Samuel Spicer Park will create an inclusive, welcoming and fun play area designed to accommodate children and families of all abilities.
Cochrane’s playground lifecycle program
Cochrane is home to 44 playgrounds, many of which are reaching the end of their usable life. To plan ahead and support active play in every neighbourhood, the Town launched the Playground Lifecycle Program in 2022. This long-term program replaces or updates at least one playground each year so families can continue to have access to safe, inclusive places to play.
Centennial Park was the first playground to be renewed through the program. Samuel Spicer Park has been selected as the sixth replacement project. Other completed projects include West Valley tot lot, Matt Krol, Bow Meadows and Wearmouth playground
Funding
The Playgrounds Lifecycle Program combines Town funding with grants and community support. For Samuel Spicer Park replacement, the Town is partnering with Variety – the Children’s Charity for the third time. Together, the Town and Variety have secured a $125,000 matching grant from Alberta's Community Facility Enhancement Program to support the playground replacement at Samuel Spicer Park. Variety and community members are actively fundraising to support this project.
If you would like to donate or get involved, visit: Home - Variety Alberta - The Children's Charity
About the park
Samuel Spicer Park, built in 1992, is one of our oldest playgrounds and ready for an update and is requiring some significant repairs. In 2025, we asked residents to share their ideas and priorities. The final design will reflect what we heard from the community.
Between July 9 and September 8, 2025, Cochrane invited community input through the Let’s Talk Cochrane website by launching a short online survey called Shaping Tomorrow’s Parks. The survey focused on gathering residents’ perspectives on how to reimagine and improve the playground and green space at Samuel Spicer Park.
The Samuel Spicer Playground & Park What We Heard Report (PDF) summarizes the key findings from the survey. Mainly, residents value their local, accessible playgrounds. Popular playgrounds combine quality equipment with neighbourhood integration: safe, walkable, scenic and family-focused.
