POND SAFETY PLAN BACKED
Call for fencing near two schools
A Saskatoon city council committee wants a partial fence erected at a pond near Lakeview School, even though nearby residents and the city administration oppose the idea.
Council’s environment, utilities and corporate services committee voted unanimously on Monday to build a partial fence beside the Lakeview pond.
The committee, which only had three members at Monday’s meeting, also backed recommendations from a city report on storm water pond safety, including building a partial fence near a pond in the Dundonald neighbourhood.
Five-year-old Ahmedsadiq Elmmi, a kindergarten student at Dundonald School, drowned in the nearby pond in September.
“The proximity to the school is quite close for both (ponds),” Coun. Sarina Gersher said at Monday’s meeting.
In the wake of the drowning, city hall examined safety at all storm water drainage ponds in Saskatoon. The recommendations included a 1.2-metre wrought-iron fence to separate the Dundonald pond from the school.
There are 26 ponds in the city, but only Dundonald and Lakeview are located near schools.
In Dundonald’s case, the pond lies directly east of the school and
the playground is located between the school and the pond. In Lakeview, the pond is located northeast of the school and only one end of the pond opens onto the nearby park.
A city report says feedback from the Lakeview neighbourhood indicated a “strong preference for no fence.” The Lakeview pond is used for non-motorized boating in the summer and skating in the winter.
The Dundonald pond is not used as often for recreation as there is an outdoor rink nearby, the report says. Feedback from the Dundonald neighbourhood was “mixed” on fencing.
Coun. Mairin Loewen said she thinks the city should be as “consistent as possible” on pond safety measures.
Elmmi’s parents are suing the City of Saskatoon and the Saskatoon Public School Division over their son’s death, which was ruled accidental by the chief coroner.
Cary Tarasoff, who noted that his children attended Dundonald School, said he attended public consultation meetings on expanding the pond in 2005. Residents were promised the pond would be properly maintained, but that hasn’t happened, Tarasoff said.
Tarasoff suggested the vegetation around the pond was allowed to grow too high, preventing teachers from spotting a child as soon as possible.
City council must still approve any safety measures approved at Monday’s committee meeting.