Centre Hastings Park Playground Update

We know the sun is shining and you and your family just cannot wait to go to the park and play on the giant structure. We know, we understand, and we are sorry. There has been a lot of negativity about the play structure on Social Media, so we hope this message will offer a little clarification.

The giant structure is currently closed, while very inconvenient and disappointing it is to ensure the safety of our children and youth. Two of the slides have significant damage, the climbing wall has a growing crack that could affect structural integrity, and a couple of panels are broken. The structure was inspected and deemed unsafe, so we had no choice but to close it.

Many of you may know the play equipment in our park, while amazing and still very relevant is quite old, this means that sourcing items for repair takes a little longer. Staff have been in contact with the supplier/installer weekly for updates and responses have always been provided immediately. However, there hasn’t really been much of an update to post.

As it stands, we are scheduled for install in June, we do not have a specific date as the install calendar is “floating”, this means formal dates aren’t given to clients until a few days before, as weather can significantly impact things at this time of year. Rest assured we are working with an excellent provider, and they have been working hard to make sure we stay a priority.

Our Park is so important to us, and we cannot wait to open the structure again, but first and foremost we must consider community safety. If it isn’t safe we cannot open it. Parts cannot be sourced from just anywhere, and they cannot be installed by just anyone, specialized equipment and expertise are required.

As soon as we are given an update with meaning, such as a date for the install we will notify you. In the interim we do thank you for your continued patience. If you have a question or concern, just call us (613-473-4030) and we will be happy to chat with you. We are seeing a lot of complaints and negativity on social media, but no one is actually reaching out to us with concerns or comments. Our Facilities Staff will be tightening the fencing to ensure it is secure, but we ask that you please keep reminding everyone to stay off until it is repaired.

Our community matters to us, our park matters to us and you matter to us. We are doing everything we can, but this is not something we can repair in-house.