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St. Joe's installs new playground

Christine Grimard
Northern News Services
Published Friday, November 2, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Around 100 volunteers helped install new playground equipment at St. Joseph school Oct. 19 to 21.

Among the many modern features, the new playground has three slides, a glide ride, a trapeze bridge and overhead climbers.

"I'm glad to help the kids," said parent Doug Krause, who has one child at St. Joseph school in Grade 8.

With the existing playground equipment not being torn down until construction starts on the school's extension in February 2008, students will have plenty of jungle gym room to play on in the meantime.

"It was a wonderful community feeling," said Flo Campbell, the school's principal, on the community gathering the weekend turned out to be. "We had a lot of fun doing it."

Installation began Friday, Oct. 19, and students hopped onto the new playground equipment as soon as construction wrapped up on Sunday, Oct. 21 around 4 p.m.

The school asked for volunteers to help with installation to save on labour costs.

"The volunteers are priceless," said Mike Huvenaars, assistant superintendent business with Yellowknife Catholic Schools.

However, he did put a price tag of around $8,000 on what their labour saved the school district.

Volunteers signed up for three hour shifts, although Campbell said many were out there all weekend.

The students are working on thank-you cards to send out to the volunteers, and everyone who came out was entered in a draw for a set of airline tickets.

The district brought up Mickey Franz from Blue Imp, the company that manufactures the equipment, to supervise the installation.

Franz said the new equipment has improved features, with safer surfaces and smaller spaces to avoid head entrapment.

While schools occasionally hire crews to install the equipment for them, Franz said it is common for volunteers to help out to save in costs.

The playground equipment cost $52,000, with approximately another $20,000 needed to hire Franz, a welder and for extra supplies like sand.

Campbell worked over the last few years to raise $23,000 for the equipment.

The school board gave another $40,000 last year.

With the park used by the community at large, Campbell is hoping to purchase benches and tables to make a community gathering spot.