COBDEN — There’s hope a playground structure will be erected at Cobden’s Veteran Memorial Park by Canada Day.
“I call this the little play structure that could,” said Chief Administrative Officer Robert Tremblay at the recreation and culture committee meeting of Whitewater Region held Wednesday, May 24. “It’s unfortunate that it’s taken eight years between fundraising from dedicated volunteer members to get this into the ground.”
Two years ago, it was recommended by council that it be installed and that still has not been accomplished, he said.
The problem has been inspection-related issues, he said, and staff will come back with a report at the June 7 meeting with recommendations regarding the issues.
Roads supervisor Randy Buckwalt will ensure the area is prepared and there is a proper radius around the structure, CAO Tremblay said.
Once the structure is erected, it will have be inspected, he said.
This job will have an impact on the 2018 budget, however, CAO Tremblay is hopeful staff can be trained to do playground inspections in the future.
“We apologize to the members of the community that I think have lost patience and it has been eight years, so I appreciate that,” CAO Tremblay said. “Staff has been trying to understand the scope and scale.
“Having seen photos of the actual structure, it’s unfortunate it’s taken this long to get it in the ground,” he added.
Councillor Charlene Jackson said there is a course a staff member can take for playground inspections and then staff can do inspections in the future. In the past, other municipalities have used playground inspectors from other municipalities. She noted Laurentian Valley had Steve Feigan from Bonnechere Valley Township inspect their playgrounds until a staff member was trained in inspections.
“I think it’s important that we do have somebody on staff to do that and thank you for bringing this to our attention from my e-mail to bring it forward,” Coun. Jackson said. “It is unfortunate things got side-tracked and I’m glad it’s back onboard and hopefully installed by July 1.”
Mayor Hal Johnson noted staff can prepare the area and have the playground installed even before the report is back on inspections. It cannot be used until it has been inspected.
