An additional $3.3 million is being provided for 80 schools across all 60 school districts for the repair, improvement and replacement of playgrounds, Education Minister George Abbott announced on June 21.
This is the final phase of an $8-million playground funding commitment made by Premier Christy Clark and Abbott last September, bringing the total number of schools benefiting from the two-year program to 227 provincewide.
For the first phase of the program, the B.C. government provided more than $2 million to 23 school districts for new playground equipment at 41 schools without playgrounds.Under the second phase, 106 parent advisory councils in 34 school districts were reimbursed over $2.4 million for the purchase of new playground equipment.
School District 53 (Okanagan Similkameen) was the recipient of $50,000, which will go towards the replacement of playground facilities at Similkameen Elementary Secondary School.
“We’re ecstatic,” said SESS Prinicipal Marcus Toneatto over the funding announcement. Tentative plans for the money will see the school relocate the present aging playground to the rear of the school, where a few items from the old playground will be included in the new facility. The present playground will be completely removed from the front of the school.
It is also hoped that a sports court can be constructed in the paved area to the rear of the school where the basketball hoops are located.
Work on the playground is expected to take place over the summer, with the sports court development to follow.