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Flint Playground Build
Well, it’s (almost) all done! Fairview’s Flint Playground Build was held on August 14-17th and what a great time it was! Read on for a breakdown of the weekend of playground building!
The fun all started on Thursday evening with community volunteers unloading the delivery truck, sorting through the tangled heavy puzzle of steel components and intertwined wooden pallets. A light rain kept us cool until it was time to rest up for the heavy work!
The weather on Friday was near perfect with only an early evening threat of a thundershower. We were lucky to have the fabulous volunteer support of Envent Engineering and a small crew of Fairview residents during the day and mostly community members in the evening. Our MLA Jonathan Denis and his Executive Assistant Christina Steed also got their hands dirty on Friday night! We spent most of the early day digging and levelling holes with the help of Peter Morrison and Armstar, Inc.’s Bobcat, pre-assembling some components and breaking down pallets. A fabulous lunch of shepard’s pie, hearty chilli, fruits, veggies and dessert was provided by We Cook You Eat and generously sponsored by Focus Equities. The hard labour of the morning was rewarded when all the large posts went into the ground and platforms started to be added. The tot train assembly also began – a project that certainly looked a lot easier than it was! Later in the day, Fairview’s own Randy Wentz (Red’s Backhoe) came in to dig the larger holes for some of the big components and erect the large net spinner post. The Friday evening crew continued with assembly of various panels and components, monkey bars, the train, rails, etc.
Saturday saw completion of the assembly of all the playgrounds structures which were then straightened and levelled. Concrete was donated and delivered by Inland Concrete to cement everything into the ground. Another perfect day weather wise – just enough cloud and a light breeze to keep the crew comfortable. Pizza lunch was donated by Boston Pizza – Fairview. The Calgary Rwandan Community also brought out a large volunteer crew to help us out. On Sunday, a small crew came out to tighten everything down and cleanup the site.
There are still a few things to be completed – installation of an undelivered spiral slide and associated pieces as well as replacement of a broken panel. The city will be installing a new rubberized border, backfilling with gravel, installing the swing pieces and the narrow spinner that was saved from the old Flint Playground as well as doing a final inspection. The playground likely won’t be open until late September, so please be patient and heed the fence!
All in all it was another great community-building project in Fairview. Everyone had fun, and neighbours, friends and coworkers got together to build something special that our kids will enjoy for many years to come. A huge thank you to everyone who helped out – we could not have done it without you!
Thank you to all of the following for making this huge project a reality:
– Playworks
– City of Calgary Parks
– Focus Equities
– Inland Concrete
– Boston Pizza – Fairview
– We Cook You Eat
– Peter Morrison and Armstar, Inc.
– Randy Wentz and Red’s Backhoe Service, Ltd.
– Calgary-Acadia MLA Jonathan Denis’ office
– Home Depot – Chinook
– Real Canadian Superstore – Deerfoot
– Co-op – Macleod Trail Centre
– Shoppers Drug Mart – Acadia
– Safeway – Southcentre
– Starbucks – Deerfoot Meadows
– Ward 9 Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra’s office
– Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP)
– Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC)
– Fairview Community Association
– Andrea Tombrowski and Jan Eisenbart
And our great volunteer crew:
– Envent Engineering
– Calgary Rwandan Community
– Melody Eisenbart and Jackie Brown, organizers
– Fairview Community Association Board of Directors
And of course all of you, the residents of Fairview and beyond for your help in all parts of this jouney!