The original playground in Maple Leaf Park needs an update and the Griesbach Community League wants your input.
The GCL will meet on Monday, June 11 at Major General Griesbach School for a public consultation on the playground refurbishment plan. The consultation is scheduled from 7-8 p.m. with a vote to follow. Anyone in the community can attend the consultation to view possible playground design options and to provide feedback. You will need a community league membership to vote. The final decision will be shared here.
Suggestions are already coming in
Thanks to everyone who has already provided feedback to original_playground@griesbachcommunity.com. If you can’t attend the meeting, you can still send feedback to this email address until 7 p.m. on June 11.
We are listening to your suggestions.
The overwhelming suggestion so far has been to provide some structures for preschool-aged children, as they are not able to use the new Maple Leaf Park playground when it is filled with children from MGG at recess time.
There have also been some suggestions for larger capital projects catering more to adults, something like a tennis court or a community league building. The community league may get to those projects eventually. Unfortunately, at this time, they are outside the budget and timeline for this smaller project.
What the community league suggests
After consultation with community members and the city, the community league is looking at a merry-go-round climbing structure and a smaller play structure designed for preschoolers in the 2-5 year-old age group. (See image below for one climbing structure option.)
The community league also looked at installing disc swings or regular swings, but they cost almost as much as the climbing structure. The thought is that more children can play on the climbing structure at the same time, especially during high-traffic at baseball games.
There will also be benches, because we know that parents need a break! The community league is looking at installing at least one new bench and one new picnic table, with additional seating as the budget allows.
There will also be two new garbage cans to help keep the area clean.
There is the option for one or two spring toys, which are designed for the 2-5 age group. Again, this depends on budget once the final estimates are in.
These suggestions are not yet final. Please come to the meeting to tell us what you would like to see.
When making suggestions, it is important to remember that any new items will have to fit into the existing sand space. The footprint of the playground cannot be expanded at this time.
What will go?
The old wooden play structure and the climbing dome must be removed. They are no longer safe and are so old that finding parts to repair them is nearly impossible. The old bench will also be removed.
The old sand will be removed and replaced, the area regraded and the wooden curbing around the edge of the playground will be replaced.
The main play structure will remain. It will be repainted and fixed up with two new slides.
Who will pay?
The money and labour to remove the old structures is being provided by Edmonton Public Schools.
The Griesbach Community League will fund the costs of the new equipment. It already has the funding in place. The money is from casinos and bingos and it must be spent on capital projects, such as a playground. The community league also has some money left from a very successful final push for the new playground.
Timeline
After the meeting on June 11, the community league will have the City of Edmonton order the new equipment. Edmonton Public Schools will begin to take down the old structure. Everything should be finished by September.
The playground will be fenced off during this time. We ask for your patience as we work to make the original playground a fun and safe place for kids to play for years to come.
