Four Saugeen Shores playgrounds will soon be getting new equipment.
In a recent report to Council, Jayne Jagelewski, Director of Community Services, said that following community engagement, four new designs have been selected for Nodwell, Pierson, Waterloo and Summerside Parks. In total, 1,028 individuals provided input that assisted staff with the final selection.
OpenSpace Solutions Inc. was selected to replace the equipment at Nodwell and Waterloo Parks while New World Park Solutions Inc. will complete Summerside and Pierson Parks. It is anticipated that the playground equipment will be installed late 2021 and spring 2022.
Through the 2021 budget deliberations, Council approved three playground equipment replacements as well as new equipment at Summerside Park. The approved budget of the playground equipment was included as part of the Request for Proposal (RFP) to ensure that each company provided a design that guaranteed the budget was met.
Staff undertook a competitive RFP process that received five submissions for playground equipment and, through a grading system, staff short-listed to the two preferred companies that met the needs for each park.
The preferred companies presented their plans to the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) as well as staff and members from the Port Elgin Lions Club who committed to $50,000 for the Nodwell Park replacement equipment.
The AAC and Port Elgin Lions Club have requested that enhanced swings be included in the design for Summerside and Nodwell Parks. Both of these requests can be accommodated and have been included in the final design.
Staff have followed the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation Guidelines throughout this process as the government has accessibility requirements for playgrounds under a standard commonly referred to as Annex H. The requirement is to have a specific minimum number of accessible features on a playground for both ground and deck levels to allow for play for a large percentile of all children with disabilities.
According to Jagelewski, for the selected designs, the preferred contractors have more than doubled the requirement numbers and added inclusive features as well. The final designs meet community needs within the budgets provided and it is anticipated that these parks will be sustainable for 20 years.
Subsequent phases for Summerside Park will be presented during budget deliberations for 2022 which will include walkways, parking, lighting and open space.
Playground equipment replacement at Nodwell and Waterloo Parks will cost $190,572 plus HST with Summerside and Pierson Parks at a cost of $196,882 plus HST. A total of $387,634 was approved in the 2021 Community Services Capital Budget.
