Halifax basketball nets cut off by condo developer's wall

Layups are a little harder to make these days at one north end Halifax school, as anyone looking to shoot hoops is coming up against a bureaucratic — and literal — wall.

Developers of a nearby condominium project have built a plywood wall to protect the public while workers excavate the lot. 

But there's one big problem: The wall cuts off one end of the court beside St. Joseph's A. McKay School and runs right up underneath the basketball nets.

"We knew the wall was coming," says Heather Collins, a parent of a student at the school. "What was a surprise was how far it impeded on the playground."

The basketball nets and nearby playground were recently built following three years of fundraising and grant applications. 

"The kids did penny drives, adults did fundraising events," Collins says. "This playground cost us about $145,000." 

The condominium builder, Dexel Developments, was initially cooperative with the community, Collins said. Early in the application process, Dexel, parents and the Halifax Regional School Board agreed on an arrangement for the wall. 

It would encroach onto the playground, but Dexel offered to build a new play area and basketball court elsewhere on the school's property.

"If they had to impede, they would provide another play space for the kids," Collins says.

Chris Poole, another parent, blames city officials for derailing the arrangement.

"Unfortunately, once HRM got involved, things just kind of shut down," he says.

The strip of land being negotiated isn't owned by the parents, the school board or the developer. It's municipal property.

"It's hard to have a deal when the property is actually owned by HRM," says District 8 Coun. Jennifer Watts.

She says the city served an order to comply to the developer, explaining the building codes required for them to construct the plywood wall. The codes dictate the construction method and distance the wall should be from the construction site.

The developer followed those codes, which meant the wall was built in a space that interferes with the playground's basketball nets.

At this point, there is no one group to blame for the wall's location. Parents who forged the initial arrangement are frustrated.

"It feels like everything is going in circles," Collins says. "Everybody's saying that somebody else is making the decisions and we're kind of left wondering: 'How did this happen?'" 

Watts said discussions are ongoing between city officials, the developer and the Halifax Regional School Board and that a decision about what to do should be reached in the coming weeks.

However, there is no clear indication what solution might be in place by the time students return for the new school year at the start of September.

CBC News contacted Dexel Developments' representative for the condo project, but our message wasn't returned.