Overhead view of a new pickleball court to be featured in phase two enhancements at Lot 108 Park off the end of Ladysmith's Fourth Ave. (Image Credit: Town of Ladysmith)

By Ian Holmes

significant work

Ladysmith’s enhanced Forrest Field project nears completion

Apr 4, 2026 | 7:57 AM

LADYSMITH — Construction workers will soon be replaced by mountain bikers and pickle ballers at a growing Ladysmith sports and recreational hub.

Known formally as Lot 108 Park where Fourth Ave. meets Jim Cram Dr., but widely referred to as Forrest Field, ambitious second phase enhancements to the Town of Ladysmith space are well underway.

Chris Barfoot, Ladysmith’s director of parks, recreation and culture, said phase two improvements at the largest sports and recreation site in the community features four new pickleball courts and the initial phase of a bike skills park.

Expanded parking to serve the new amenities are also being added now, with Barfoot estimating the work is expected to be done by about mid-May.

“With the addition of the bike park, pickleball, and outdoor fitness and some of these improvements in the current phase two, it’s really activating this space as being a hub for the community and a centralized place for recreation,” Barfoot told NanaimoNewsNOW.

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significant work

Ladysmith's enhanced Forrest Field project nears completion

Apr 04, 2026

A perimeter trail rounding the entire park is also being completed as part of phase two work, Barfoot said.

Building on phase one upgrades done last year involving parking enhancements, a practice/warm-up field, and prepping the site for outdoor workout equipment, Barfoot said the venue is designed to be an inclusive destination for a wide range of people.

Aside from indoor play at Frank Jameson Community Centre, Barfoot said there are no other publicly available pickleball courts within Ladysmith.

“Within the region some of the pickleball courts have moved to some type of booking system, we’re not going to move in that direction unless we start to see some conflicts or people are complaining that they don’t have access to it.”

Phase two enhancements at Lot 108 Park are rounded out with landscaping, including new trees and grass.

Barfoot said considerable amounts of regrading had to be done to make way for the new amenities.

“It currently looks very raw right now, but with the replanting of trees and grass it’ll recapture that nice green recreational space that it was and will be in the future.”

The budget for phase two enhancements at Lot 108 Park is about $850,000, Barfoot noted.

He said further envisioned enhancements feature a fieldhouse to complement the full-sized Forrest Field, a multi-sport artificial playing surface heavily used for soccer and football among others.

Forrest Field is due for replacement, which is scheduled to be done during the month of August when no formal user groups are impacted, according to Barfoot.

More information from the Town of Ladysmith on the evolution of Lot 108 Park, including the ongoing work, is available here.

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