City aims to reopen playgrounds by June 1
Opening 1,100 sites isn’t as simple as tearing down caution tape
The City of Calgary is hopeful kids will be able to return to parks and playgrounds by June 1.
In communities outside of the city, the return is already happening. Playgrounds reopened in Cochrane on May 14, and in Airdrie on Friday.
But as with just about everything COVID-19 related, Calgary is on a different timeline and it will be at least another week or so before playgrounds are open.
A lot of work needs to be done first, though.
“For us, it’s more the safety issue. Making sure that they’re really good to go and don’t represent a danger to kids,” said Calgary Emergency Management Agency chief Tom Sampson.
“(The concern) was originally the COVID virus and does it hang around? We’re starting to learn more and more that it doesn’t hang around as long, but it still is an issue.”
Opening Calgary’s 1,100 playgrounds isn’t as simple as tearing down caution tape and letting kids run wild. COVID-19 isn’t the only danger: after a long winter, the playgrounds need to be inspected to make sure they’re still up to code and are safe for children.
That’s a big undertaking at the best of times, but Calgary had to lay off a substantial number of employees at the end of March, including 1,200 workers in the recreation and neighbourhoods departments.
Ultimately, that means there are fewer people available to do the job of checking playground safety, so it will take time to get the inspections done. The ever-evolving understanding of how COVID -19 spreads is being closely monitored, too.
“We’re looking at COVID counts and asymptomatic transmission and how it’s carried, so we’re doing our best to try to get Calgary’s numbers down,” Sampson said. “We want the playgrounds open.”
The city is also producing about 2,000 signs that will be posted at playgrounds to explain how users can help make things safer.
One thing that seems certain: when the parks do open, parents and their kids are going to be thrilled.
In Airdrie, Daman Singh and his five-year-old son, Tejas, went to the Midtown playground on Friday, despite rain, and were back again Saturday.
“The kids seem really happy. At least the kids can see each other and talk to each other,” Singh said.