Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Nov 04/05) - Work comes before play.

The work in this case was undertaken by Alex Gargan, Robin Grossetete and Randy Horesay, employees with the territorial department of Public Works and Services. Working on and off, they spent about two weeks putting together new playground equipment for students at Bompas elementary school.

The enormous jungle gym came from Medicine Hat, Alta., in close to 40 pieces. It was accompanied by several pages of instruction and diagrams along with oodles of nuts, bolts, washers and screws of various sizes.

Being the first time they had ever tackled such a project, the trio had to backtrack on a few occasions to correct a false step. But they made steady progress and had a few laughs as they dug, lifted and drilled.

"We figured it out already," Gargan said, smiling. "It takes time."

Time was something that the eager young students didn't want to surrender any longer. Some wandered over, stood outside the flimsy orange fencing lining the perimeter of the work site and asked, "When are you going to be done?"

Bompas principal Terry Jaffray said the previous playground equipment outside that wing of the school - some of it nine years old, some 16 years old - had to be dismantled because pieces were broken or vandalized, rendering it unsafe for use.

The new apparatus, which cost around $20,000, was paid for by the Fort Simpson Parks and Playground Society, Grade 6 fundraising, the school's budget and a contribution from the Dehcho Divisional Education Council, according to Jaffray.

The playground equipment was chosen democratically, as the pages from the catalogue were posted on the wall in the school and also circulated in the classroom for students and staff to give their opinions.

"And this was the most popular," Jaffray said of the apparatus, which features dual slides and plenty of monkey bars.

To keep the students occupied in the meantime, the youth were taught some new playground games, the principal noted.

But she acknowledged that they're anxious to climb on the new equipment.

"They're pretty excited about it," she said.