Residents weigh options for Olivia the Brave Park

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This article was published 26/03/2024 (900 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ward 7 residents were given a chance to give feedback Monday evening on how they want work to proceed on a park being developed in honour of a little girl who loved it.

Olivia Baessler was a four-year-old Brandon girl who died of a congenital illness in 2020.

A park she loved to play at, on the corner of Plateau and Goldenrod drives, was renamed “Olivia the Brave Park” in her honour.

A statue of Olivia riding a tricycle has been erected at that corner. The park currently has a couple of small play structures, but the city is looking to add a larger play structure and more features.

About 20 people turned out to participate in a discussion held in the music room of Linden Lanes School.

Bryce Wilson, the city’s manager of parks, told those in attendance that there’s $100,000 in this year’s city budget for the project and that the city is going to tender for three other playgrounds around the city as well.

Seeking bids for four playgrounds at once should help lead to better deals, Wilson said, with Brandon investigating the possibility of entering into three- to four-year deals with contractors to build structures for more savings.

He showed pictures from other playgrounds the city has erected on a similar budget, like the ones at Coronation and Westview parks.

Both playgrounds featured a central structure with multiple slides as well as a couple of standalone features and a pea gravel surface around the play area for fall protection.

A larger playground on the North Hill was also shown, with a $150,000 budget allowing the addition of larger structures and swing sets.

Wilson outlined three routes the city can take to build at Olivia the Brave Park.

The first would just see the city tender the project in April with a $100,000 budget.

The second would see community groups fundraise to expand the budget for the three new playgrounds, still going out to tender next month.

The third would see the city contribute $100,000 and then hand over construction to a service organization.

That third route was what happened with Laurence & Louise Playground at 1417 Louise St. East, where the Kiwanis Club took over development and solicited donations to get a budget of $360,000. Once it was built, the city took over maintenance costs.

According to Wilson, that route might take a longer time to generate results, but in the case of the Laurence & Louise Park it led to a better final project with better fall protection and amenities like shade features.

Coun. Shawn Berry (Ward 7) explained that the city typically sets a budget, with the winning contractor designing and building something within those financial constraints. He said he’s considering approaching the city’s police and fire unions, who have a lot of members living in the neighbourhood, to see if they might be interested in contributing toward the project.

Both Wilson and Berry said there isn’t room for items like paddling pools, spray parks or multi-sport courts at the site.

According to Berry, the existing park and amenities were built by the developer building the surrounding area. He said it was a good learning experience, as the city did not specify the size of the park or its structures in its development agreement, just that a park had to be built. Going forward, the city knows it has to set stricter conditions.

One resident asked if the city was planning on completing the fence that surrounds the park, saying she doesn’t have kids but has noticed kids running out into the street. Wilson said that isn’t currently in the works, but that he will tell his department there is interest in having it finished.

Another resident wanted to know if the greenspace in the park where kids play sports like soccer and baseball would be maintained. She was told that the greenspace would be preserved along with the existing play structures.

Some attendees said there might be a level of impatience in the neighbourhood to get something built quickly instead of waiting for fundraising, while others said something on the scale of Parkdale Community Park — built on a budget of $150,000 to $200,000 — created a nicer park that was more appealing to older kids.

A woman who said she was involved in the first phase of fundraising for the playground at Linden Lanes School said she recommended the work be left up to the school because of the sheer amount of work involved.

“I can’t even tell you how much time I spent rolling pennies,” she said.

In response, another resident said it might be a good idea to get the core structure built and then fundraise for add-ons like swing sets later.

Local business owner Amber White said she worried that enthusiasm for add-ons might drop once the first structure is installed.

With the city looking to release the tender in the week of April 22, Wilson said they would need fundraising money or a plan in place by the previous Friday, April 19.

Director of parks and recreation Perry Roque said it would be likely that the city could issue charitable tax receipts for donors, but he needed to double-check the details with the city’s finance department.

Installation of the park will likely take place this fall.

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