NORTH BATTLEFORD — Kids in the Connaught School area of North Battleford will soon have their own spray park to enjoy.
Work has started on the new spray park at the far end of the school yard.
The $300,000 project was funded by the City of North Battleford, the Rotary Club of the Battlefords, and Access Communications. Living Sky School Division contributed the land.
The spray park will also have wheelchair accessibility.
“I have a playground renewal plan, and I also have a Parks and Recreation plan,” said Cheryl DeNeire, City of North Battleford director of parks and recreation. “That was an area that was identified as being under-serviced for affordable recreational opportunities. Right now, anybody living in that area has to walk across 11th and 13th [Avenues] to get to Senator Herb Sparrow Park.”
This park, which includes a spray park, is located on 104 Street in North Battleford.
DeNeire said kids are walking or biking across the roads to this area. They are not all being driven, which can make it dangerous due to traffic.
So Connaught School really needed its own spray park, she noted.
“If you look at where we have playgrounds and where we have splash pads, there’s a big hole in that part of the city [by Connaught School]. There’s nothing... That’s why we chose to put it out in that part of the city,” DeNeire said.
The city has also hosted community barbecues in the Connaught School area, which always saw a high number of families attending.
The project is expected to be completed next spring.
“I love it,” DeNeire said. “It’s exciting because we forget sometimes that outdoor recreation has many spaces. It’s not all walking or organized sport. This unstructured playspace environment is really important.”
