He has said it before and he will likely say it again; Mayor Ron Casey has serious concerns about the safety of the playground at Centennial Park.
Casey brought the issue up again during discussions of the 2011 capital budget, which includes a project to replace a playground every second year.
This year, the replacement is set for the five- to 12-year-old playground at Centennial Park, the most heavily used playground in Canmore.
Administration proposed to spend $175,000 to replace the playground built in 1998 and install a rubberized surface.
Casey put forward a motion directing administration to evaluate other locations at the Centennial Park/Lawrence Grassi Middle School site and have options presented to council.
The mayor, who lives in South Canmore, said having children, the park and parking so close to the busy roadway is dangerous and it is only a matter of time before someone is hurt.
“The amount of traffic on that particular corner has increased exponentially,” he said, comparing it to the Indy 500. “The road is extremely narrow and it would be good planning on our part to look at the rest of that site… and see if there is another location off Fifth Avenue.”
The motion passed, with only Councillor Gordie Miskow voting against it.
The next playground replacement, planned for 2013, is for the two- to five-year-old big toy also located at Centennial Park, for $165,000. Following that, in 2015, the playground at Lions Park is proposed to be replaced for $170,000.
The project proposed for 2011 would improve accessibility and safety of the playground.
A project summary sets out that in 2003 the CSA changed standards to no longer allow the use of chromate copper arsenic pressure-treated wood in playground structures.
The Town currently has 19 playgrounds using the treated wood, including the two at Centennial Park.
The rubberized surface is a 100 per cent recycled product manufactured in Alberta which has benefits over pea gravel in terms of safety, maintenance and accessibility.
