Morinville kids will get to cool off in the town’s splash park this summer despite the fact that it’s a bit broken won’t be fixed until next year.
Morinville councillors voted unanimously June 23 after a protracted debate to reopen the town’s splash park when it was safe to do so.
They also voted to do some $371,000 in parks repairs this year, including the construction of the town’s first accessible playground, the replacement of the Rotary Park playground, and the removal of Belle Park and trail fitness equipment.
Broken parks
Iain Bushell, the town’s general manager of community and infrastructure services, told council seven of the nine town-owned playgrounds in Morinville are 18 years or older and in poor or very poor condition. The fitness equipment along the town’s north trail is also in a poor state and not being used. The splash park is over 20 years old and in need of replacement, with about a quarter of its fixtures not spraying water properly.
Bushell proposed a $446,000 plan that would see the town replace the splash park for $255,000, replace the Rotary Park playground for $126,000, do $50,000 of work on the town’s skate park, and remove the trail fitness equipment and the Belle Park playground this year.
Town chief administrative officer Stephane Labonne recommended the town keep the splash park closed this summer due to the number of broken fixtures.
Council asked administration earlier this year to consider adding a water-saving recycling system to the splash park.
Bushell said a tank-based system would let crews use the park’s greywater (uncleaned used water) to water plants and would cost about $320,000. A recirculation system similar to that used in swimming pools runs for around $362,000. Since the park uses just $7,000 of water a year, neither option was cost-effective.
Bushell said the town should at some point replace the playground and outdoor rink at the Ray McDonald Sports Centre. Replacing the playground would cost about $134,000, or $180,000 if it were wheelchair-accessible. A new rink would cost up to $1 million. He also recommended new washrooms, bleachers, and a garage for the centre at some point.
Setting priorities
Coun. Scott Richardson opposed Bushell’s plan, saying he was extremely disappointed in the state of the town’s parks and that the town has no way to know if the splash park would be safe to use during the current pandemic. Council should “pump the brakes” on these repairs and talk with community groups to find out where best to put its parks dollars.
Coun. Nicole Boutestein led a 4-3 vote (Mayor Barry Turner and councillors Lawrence Giffin and Sarah Hall opposed) to revise Bushell’s plan by delaying the splash park replacement until 2021.
“It’s already the middle of June,” she said, and the new park wouldn’t be ready until next year.
Turner opposed the change, saying the town is already behind the 8-ball when it comes to catching up on these park repairs. Doing this work now would also have less effect on residents than doing it later, as many people are avoiding parks now due to the pandemic.
“We know the community wants that splash park to be open,” he said, and rebuilding it now would be a solid investment.
Hall said the town has not been taking care of its playgrounds, and putting off repairs to them is not the answer.
“Playgrounds are lifelines in our community for so many people and we need to take care of what we have,” she said.
Council voted 5-2 (Giffin and Hall opposed) to approve Bushell’s revised proposal.
Council later voted to move the replacement of the Ray McDonald playground up to this year for $180,000. The new facility will be the first wheelchair-accessible playground in town.
In an email, Bushell said the town’s splash park would reopen sometime this July.
