Some snazzy new playground equipment is being installed at Colwell Park in Wallaceburg – the future site of the Wallaceburg Splash Pad.
Jane McGee, supervisor of parks and recreation for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, told the Sydenham Current a full complete unit is being installed, and should tentatively be playable by Wednesday, April 19 at the Running Creek Drive site.
“There will be some land or ground features that can be accessed by someone in a wheel chair or stroller as you come into the park,” McGee said.
“There will be a little play area. A little bench with a roof over it. There will be a number of play opportunities in and among the large unit. (There is) a 16-foot slide. Then there will be another slide off to the side of it and again, a number of tactile and sensory features included within.”
McGee added: “The protective surface that will go in will be engineered with fiber which is acceptable… should someone fall, they are not going to get hurt but it is also acceptable for wheel chair and stroller pushing.”
McGee said the equipment was approved as part of the regular lifestyle funding through the 2016 Chatham-Kent budget.
“We had hoped to get it installed fall of last year but with awarding the tender and the time parameters to actually build the equipment and then the weather changing on us, we held off until early spring of this year,” she said.
McGee said she is thrilled to see the Colwell Park site come full circle.
“I think it is great,” she said.
“When you stop back and reflect, I worked at Colwell Pool. So now to see the disheartening part of it having to be decommissioned way back and now seeing it revitalized, I think it’s great. It is in the central area of town. I know that we can’t hit everybody, but it’s a pretty even walk for most people and an opportunity for everybody to get to use that area.”
McGee said eventually a sun shelter will be installed between the new play equipment and where the splash pad will eventually be constructed.
“We have received some funding through public health through their Sun Safety Program. So we are actually going to get a sun shelter put in between the two play amenities,” she said.
“It will be impressive when it is done. You can see the slide and the neat thing about the play unit is that large slide looks like a water slide. I think it will tie in the whole design of that Colwell Park with the splash pad right beside it and then a nice sun shelter in between, so that parents can be out of the sun still watching their kids play, kids get to come out of the sun for a little bit. It is pretty exciting.”
The Splash Pad committee has raised approximately $130,000 to date, and are looking to raise another $50,000.
The group says they are eyeing sometime in July as a tentative opening date.
– Photo credit: Aaron Hall
