Members of the River Valley School parent council have raised roughly $80,000 towards purchasing a new playground for the school, but still need $120,000 more to reach their goal.
ìThe school playground has to be replaced, it doesn't meet code,î said Tina Millard, a member of the parent council, adding she is unaware of how old the playground is.
ìIt's a wooden structure and wooden structures are not up to code anymore because they splinter and it is falling apart. Last year there was a big section of it that was boarded off for quite a while because they couldn't fix it and they finally got parts to fix it. But it's hard to get parts for these kinds of things anymore.î
The parent council was tasked with fundraising for a new playground last year, she said, adding school officials have also been fundraising for it.
ìWe've done different things. We've done casinos already and different things. We were going to do a family dance but we haven't confirmed a date yet,î she said.
They are also applying for a variety of grants and she is hoping they will receive grants to match what they have already raised.
ìWe've been looking at different metal structures and metal, concrete or plastic different things,î she said.
There was a poll conducted at the school in recent weeks to see what kind of playground the teachers and the students want.
ìWe had different ideas come to us. Obviously if we raise more money, then obviously we can give them more things. They wanted an outdoor classroom built and different things like that,î she said.
Chinook's Edge School Division is not providing any funding for the playground, she noted.
ìThe school boards do not have money for playgrounds anymore. It would be cutting teachers or cutting equipment that goes into the school, the computers or whatever. They just don't have the funds to pay for playgrounds,î she said.
ìWe are just waiting for the permission from the school board to use parent volunteers to dismantle and put the new playground up. And if we could do that, that will save us a huge amount of money.
ìIt will probably be a $50,000 install and takedown bill.î
