Why are these fences popping up around school playgrounds in London?
TVDSB says that some playgrounds are fenced off while they perform routine work to ensure they are safe
Some residents were left scratching their heads after finding some school playgrounds around the city fenced off from the public by the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) this week.
All Andrew Hunniford wanted to do was take his daughter to play on their local school playground after dinner.
Living close to Cleardale public school, the family went to the school grounds quite frequently, so they were usually there every few days or so.
But when they arrived at Cleardale on Thursday night, they found that the playground she loved so much was completely fenced off.
"I was completely put off by it," Hunniford said.
"I hadn't been there since last week. But when we got there [last night], there was a giant blue fence erected completely around the playground structure at the back of the school."
For his daughter, it was upsetting.
"She's super bummed. My daughter loves the playground equipment, and she really feels pent-up about it. It's her school, it's where she goes, it's her playground. This is their territory...it's kid world," he said.
What gives with all the school playgrounds <a href="https://twitter.com/TVDSB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TVDSB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LdnOnt?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LdnOnt</a> ? <a href="https://t.co/10EpIcIpaV">pic.twitter.com/10EpIcIpaV</a>
—@AndrewHunnifordCurious to see if it was the same at other schools, the next morning Hunniford decided to take a different route to work.
"I ride my bike, so I snaked my way past Cartier, Mountsfield...on my way to work, and they all had the exact same fencing," he said.
Putting safety first
A spokesperson for the TVDSB says that during the summertime, the board conducts annual inspections on its play structures throughout the city.
While some structures pass inspections easily, others may need to have some work done and are fenced off.
Specifically, over time the pea stone, a cushioning surface used on the base of some play structures can get quite hard and needs to be loosened.
The pea stone are the little stones that helps kids have a soft landing if they jump off the swings, slides or actual structure. The school board says that soon the pea stone will be replaced with wood fibre.
Currently TVDSB says they are working to get their inspections and work done as quickly as possible, and that all the fences should be gone within the next few weeks.
They say that only the structures that needed work done were fenced off, and that there still are many opened around the city.
For Hunniford, he's looking forward to going back to the Cleardale playground with his daughter whenever it opens again. "We have other playgrounds for sure that we can go to, like behind the arena and the city parks," he said.
"But what's a bummer is that because this one is a school playground, it feels special to her."