Winnipeg, MB - King Edward School children and their families will have an exciting new playground and recreation area thanks to a joint investment through Phase Two of the Manitoba/Winnipeg Building Communities Initiative (BCI) II partnership, announced Children and Youth Opportunities Minister Kevin Chief and, Councillor Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) on behalf of Mayor Sam Katz.
“King Edward School is a vital part of the Point Douglas community and this new playground will be geared to the needs of the local children and their families,” said Minister Chief. “Projects like this support healthy active lifestyles, making a tangible difference in our quality of life. This school and community have worked hard at local fundraising and we are proud to help them make this wonderful project a reality.”
“All children need a safe place to play,” said Mayor Katz. “This new playground will be a place to learn, explore and have fun. These kinds of outdoor, community spaces are so vital for families with children and will be a welcome addition not only to King Edward School, but to the entire Point Douglas area.”
Plans for the new playground include an investment of $100,000 for open play and games areas, a picnic site, an amphitheatre, a hill with a slide and many smaller play structures like swings, spinners and a climbing net. The project is scheduled to begin as soon as the school year ends and should be completed by the time the 2013/14 school year opens.
“New play structures will mean so much to the Point Douglas community,” said Councillor Pagtakhan. “A lot of planning has gone into making this recreation area a welcoming space for people of all ages. When this project is complete, the new playground will become a community hub for the entire neighbourhood.”
“As a parent and member of this community, my family and I know first-hand how much this project will mean to our neighborhood,” said Sue Keller, King Edward School Parent Advisory committee member. “This project will be a welcoming place for Point Douglas families and it’s great to see our two years of hard work as a community start to pay off with help from the Province and the City.”
The King Edward School Playground project is one of 34 BCI II, Phase Two projects announced in March 2013. The BCI partnership is a multi-year, cost-shared capital initiative developed jointly by the Manitoba government and the City of Winnipeg. The goal of the funding is to support community revitalization through improvements to local community infrastructure in targeted older neighbourhoods and contribute to the vitality, safety and health of communities throughout the city. The projects supported through BCI II increase community confidence by attracting, supporting and helping retain local residents and businesses. Projects are selected in consultation with key stakeholders and community groups.
In addition to BCI funding, the City of Winnipeg is supporting the project with a $33,000 commitment through the Point Douglas Ward allocation of the Community Incentive Grant Program. The project’s other funding partners include the Children’s Heritage Fund ($20,000), King Edward School/Community and Student Council Fundraising ($13,200) and the Thomas Sill Foundation ($10,000) for a total project cost of $176,000.
Below is a link to the architect’s rendering of the project.
KingEdwardCommSchoolConceptDrawing2013.pdf