Discussion surrounding the decommissioning of “dated” playgrounds across the city came up in Grande Prairie City Council’s May 22nd meeting.
According to the city, 130 playgrounds are currently set up in Grande Prairie, which Deputy Mayor Chris Thiessen calls “saturated.”
As a result, the city says some playgrounds have become money pits due to increased maintenance and upkeep costs on old playgrounds that are not being utilized.
“A big part of it is along the lines of cost saving, playgrounds don’t cost the same as they used to cost, we’re talking six-figure numbers for a lot of playgrounds in our community,” Deputy Mayor Thiessen says.
City council maintains that any parks that could be decommissioned will be done so based on community engagement and consultation to determine whether a playground is beneficial in an area, or if the area could be better served with an alternative such as turf, soccer fields, or basketball courts.
“That consultation is part of the process of everything that we do, so when we’re talking about breaking down a playground part of what we’re trying to know and understand is the demographics of the neighbourhood, and the proximity of other playgrounds,” Deputy Mayor Thiessen says. “No neighbourhood will be left without a playground in walking proximity to the other one that got decommissioned.”
Along with safety concerns, city council says the decommissioning and replacement of certain under-utilized playgrounds could lead to more beneficial spaces for kids to enjoy and get outside.
“In order to replace and take care of these parks so they don’t become a safety hazard we have to put some consideration as to whether or not we need these parks,” Thiessen says.
“It’s about getting kids involved in regular activity and playgrounds help to do that but perhaps not at the saturation level that we’ve seen in our neighbourhoods,” Thiessen says. “Depending on the need of the neighbourhood, if that gets kids out enjoying the sunshine and the fresh air and getting some exercise, I think that benefits everybody and especially the child.”
Ultimately, the city says no playgrounds will be decommissioned without consultation with the neighbourhood, and Thiessen says he looks forward to working alongside neighborhood associations throughout the process.