‘Memories are made on that equipment’: School playgrounds in need of replacement

Since their playground equipment closed for safety reasons in June, supporters of the Port Rowan Public School playground fundraising committee have been line dancing, selling cookies, learning yoga moves, playing bingo and returning empty bottles to pay for its repair.

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In short order they raised close to $10,000, enough to replace a slide and one of the platforms on the school’s large play space.

Darcy McWilliam, chair of the committee, said they’re in a long queue with other schools to have the repair work done but they’re planning ahead. The school’s playground equipment is 27 years old and McWilliam said they know “the big one’s going to come” when full replacement is necessary.

So, they’ve just continued fundraising, this month reaching almost a quarter of their $100,000 goal.

“Once we get close, we’ll look into what it will really cost,” McWilliam said.

It won’t be cheap. A full playground replacement costs tens of thousands of dollars and, most of the time, school boards don’t pay for it.

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“Our policy identifies that in most instances financial obligations of playground maintenance are directed to school-generated funds,” said Tracey Austin, director of communications for the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board. “The policy outlines that the school is responsible for raising money for the purchase and maintenance of playground equipment.”

Ryan Strang, manager of communications for the Grand Erie District School Board, said school boards are allocated funding for facility repair and replacement and a portion of those funds can be used for playgrounds.

“We continually assess facility needs and aim to balance safety, educational priorities and available funding to create optimal learning and play environments for all students.

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“Many school councils and community groups fundraise for new playground equipment and maintenance and, where we can, we support schools on an as-needs basis.”

School playground equipment is checked annually by a certified inspector. Ontario law requires inspections as per the Canadian Standards Association. In addition, school board staff, including custodians, typically do regular checks to ensure equipment safety.

The Grand Erie board currently has a few schools where the playground has been fully or partially closed because they don’t meet the standards. The Catholic board currently has no playgrounds designated to be removed from service or unusable until repaired, said Austin.

Many schools have aging equipment, which will soon require replacement. The parent council at Boston Public began fundraising a year ago after being told its outdated playground was on its “last legs.”

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In just a year, they’ve raised $70,000 for replacement with a goal of collecting $100,000 by the end of the year. Parent council member Lara Rockefeller said they expect the total cost to be about $130,000. The hope is to have new equipment in place for September 2025.

“Every year, the cost just goes up and up and up.”

Rockefeller, who has three children attending Boston Public, said the school board has tight restrictions on how the work is done. A parent who owns a landscaping company, for instance, can’t donate services because they aren’t on the board’s list of approved vendors, she said.

Austin said contributors to equipment breakdown can include high usage, both during school and after class by the public; weather conditions, and “from time to time, misuse or vandalism.”

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Any deficiencies are reported to the school principal who decides if repairs will be made or if the deficiencies are cost-prohibitive to fix. If it can’t be repaired, it’s removed.

McWilliam said their playground equipment was corded off with yellow tape and shut down after it failed a safety inspection during the final weeks of the previous school year.

She said there are only a handful of playground equipment manufacturers in Ontario and a long wait list of schools needing replacement and repairs. McWilliam, who has two grandchildren at the school, is hopeful their equipment, which includes three slides, a climber and a couple of covered platforms, will be operating soon.

“It’s well used,” she said. “It’s the only real playground equipment for kids in town to use in the evening and on weekends. These kids need things to do outside. Memories are made on that equipment.”

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Parent groups and community members covering the cost of school playground equipment has been happening for decades. It was fundraising that paid for the aging equipment at Port Rowan Public almost 30 years ago.

“I know the people who fundraised for it,” McMillian said. “It’s not a new thing but it’s so much more expensive now. That’s why it gets so much attention.”

So, she said her 10-member committee will continue to organize fundraising events. Beer cans and bottles will keep being gathered and bingo games called.

“We’ve had numerous donations from local groups,” she said. “There have been so many little pieces along the way that are getting us to our goal. I’m just blown away by the community support.”

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