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Meadowfields Community School shows off new playground

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Recess just got a big upgrade at Meadowfields Community School in Yarmouth. 

The school recently unveiled their brand new play structure and outdoor space.

Vice principal Kevin Gobien said the nearly $400,000 project was something the school had been looking at doing for nearly five years, and wouldn’t have been possible without community support and funding from local government.

“A few short years later and we have something that not just our school, but our community can be really proud of,” said Gobien. “Meadowfields is a community school, and this is a community playground, created in part by our students.”

Gobien said students helped by not only giving their input on what they want built at the new playground, but also came up with the idea to match the colours to the schools official colours.

He said they wanted to create a sense of connection and pride in the community for the students.

“This is a big example of what we try to do on a daily basis,” said Gobien. 

The playground gets frequent use according to Gobien, and hosts a number of programs, day camps and other activities outside of school hours.

“The importance of play has so many health impacts…it’s not hard to find all the health benefits of outdoor play,” said Gobien. “We have an outdoor classroom, so just being outside experiencing nature… has so many health benefits, is good for mental health, physical health and respect for the environment.”

St. Mary School fencing NCDSB photo

Fencing, playground improved made at Fort Frances Catholic school

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Students at St. Mary School in Fort Frances are enjoying some new surroundings.

A new fence was installed, and improvements were made to the school’s grounds.

Manager of Facilities for the Northwest Catholic District School Board, Austin Madussi, says the fence improves safety for students and staff.

“It was to prevent any unauthorized access. Additionally, there’s a railway that adjoins the school property, which was a major safety concern that we wanted to mitigate,” says Madussi.

The work started in May and was completed by the early part of summer.

The other project undertaken was on the grounds.

“There was a lot of undeveloped land that I saw as an opportunity to improve the lot for the students, given the rather large student population,” says Madussi.

“There were also a few hazards such as . . . a ditch running through that property and a culvert that I wanted to mitigate. Unmaintained tall grass and shrubbery also presented supervision concerns.”

Drainage in the area was also improved, with a new soccer pitch and basketball court added.

Trails connecting the area’s features were also paved.

“This is also a feature that improves accessibility for anyone with mobility issues to access all the items.”

kenora cip

Central Park in Kenora set to reopen

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There’s good news for kids who need a place to play.

The City of Kenora says the playground at Central Park will reopen on Friday afternoon.

Greenspace upgrades were recently completed.

The city says a small area near the clubhouse will remain fenced off while the contractor completes the remaining work.

A formal ribbon-cutting will be held at a later date.

lockeport

New Lockeport playground brings joy to town residents

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A new playground is bringing joy to a small town in Shelburne County.

Last month, the soft-launch of the new Seacaps Playground in Lockeport was held.

It came months after the previous wooden structure was deemed no longer safe to use.

A fundraising group helped secure over $350,000 in grants toward the new playground.

Lockeport mayor Derek Amalfa says the community came together.

“In true Lockeport fashion, a problem arises, the community rallies together, pulls up their boot straps and says okay, how are we going to fix this? And that’s what they did,” said Amalfa.

He says the second phase should be ready by the start of summer.

“It’s been quiet over the last year, the playground is the heart of Lockeport, you can hear the children laughing and playing again.”