The construction contract for the proposed Sparling East playground in Fernie has been awarded to the Alberta-based BDI Play Designs company.
Mayor Ange Qualizza said the park is something that Parkland Terrace residents have been advocating for.
“There were groups of young families that were active in a lobby position to get us to put a playground in their community. I think it’s going to be a really successful, and they’re going to be happy to see this project moving forward,” said Qualizza.
The contract was awarded at Fernie City Council’s September 28th meeting.
According to council documents, the park will be built off of Bossio Road near the Elk River.
“Having a neighbourhood playground is a fantastic thing for a young family. It gets moms and dads out of the house, you meet neighbours, you become friends,” said Qualizza. “Playgrounds are critical investments in the community, it helps you build a community to have outdoor spaces.”
Fernie has dedicated $160,000 from its 2020 capital budget to construct the playground.
The company that was chosen by Fernie for this project, BDI Play Designs, has plenty of experience building municipal playgrounds using Blue Imp products.
Qualizza said the design of the playground was inspired by the desires of residents, which will include climbing structures, a zipline and a slide.
“We had a lot of people that responded, I think 160 people participated in the public survey of what they might like to see in the park,” said Qualizza.
BDI Play Designs has proposed a few different design ideas for consideration.
The project is still in the early stages, however, as a start date for construction has not yet been finalized.
