A new playground designed to entertain young children up to age five – and their parents and caregivers – will open in the spring at Lions Park in Osoyoos.
After the town received a recent provincial grant of $40,000, town staff moved quickly to ensure the tot playground would be ready to open in 2016, said Gerald Davis, the town’s director of community services, during a presentation to Town of Osoyoos council on Monday.
Staff secured a grant through the Enabling Accessibility Fund to offset the costs associated with the tot playground project at Lions Park, said Davis.
Rec Tec Industries out of Penticton, which has worked with the town on numerous community projects over the past several years, was hired to develop and design and work with staff to make this project a reality, said Davis.
Staff received three quotes for the original project before making plans to finalize it with Rec Tec Industries, he said.
“Rather than tender this project, staff would like to move forward with the quote from Rec Tec,” said Davis. “This playground had to be developed specifically for accessibility purposes as part of the criteria within the grant application.
“One aspect being the fall surface material, Fibar, which is wheelchair accessible and is an approved fall surface for the grant.”
Rec Tec Industries is part of the corporate supply arrangement through the Province of British Columbia, he said.
The province has negotiated the best price for the services and products that are offered through the arrangement and helps expedite projects by not having to develop a Request For Proposal (RFP).
“As part of the quote and design, Rec Tec is offering a 10 per cent discount on the equipment now to ensure we get the best possible price,” he said.
“It will be difficult to use Rec Tec’s grant approved design and tender to other companies for the equipment and installation.”
The original capital project was approved by town council for $25,000 as an upgrade for a tot playground in Osoyoos, however, getting the additional $40,000 in grant funding, will allow for a much nicer and more functional playground at Lions Park, he said.
“With this grant, we are greatly enhancing the playground to offer an area specifically for tots up to five years of age,” he said.
The town’s Community Services Master Plan included provisions to upgrade and enhance playgrounds to offer more equipment for children age five and under, he said.
The project must be completed before the end of June next summer, he said.
The plan is to purchase all equipment immediately and to install it in the spring, he said.
“Administration has spent time with Rec Tec Industries to come up with a design that works for both the community and grant criteria,” said Davis.
“Since we are getting a competitive quote from the corporate supply agreement, it will be efficient to move forward as soon as possible. We have completed projects with Rec Tec in the past and it was a positive experience. Securing the equipment now will provide us with the best cost savings opportunity.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
