ABERFOYLE – Safety features will be added to Boreham Park in Arkell, but it will be fencing and not underground culverts, much to the chagrin of the residents group Concerned Citizens of Puslinch.
The group’s spokesperson Bruce Taylor has delegated to council multiple times over the past few years complaining that stormwater drainage ditches run too close to the playground equipment, the ditches are steep, and at times are deep with water, posing a danger to children.
Taylor has consistently argued that the culverts should be buried, the ground leveled, and the park would be safer.
At its Sept. 25, 2024 meeting, council directed staff to proceed with a safety study and on June 18, council received the report from safety consultant Urban in Mind.
That report made the following recommendations:
- mature trees around the perimeter of the site should be pruned and dead branches removed;
- either full lighting should be installed or signage erected advising of park hours (dawn to dusk);
- chain link fence should be erected around the south, west and north boundaries of the park;
- vegetation should be removed from a stormwater grate near the northwest corner of the site so it is visible;
- the concrete pad at the picnic table area should be level with the foundation that supports posts for the shade structure in the same area to remove tripping hazards. This could be done by either raising the concrete pad, grinding down the post foundation or adding a high visibility rubberized material to the surface to mark the changes in grade;
- either install culverts and bury them or install a three-foot-tall hip fence along the stormwater ditches;
- where culvert pipes exist, barriers should be installed at the ends so children cannot climb inside and be trapped;
- armour stone in the area of these culvert pipes should either be covered, removed or railing added along the top of the pipes and stone to reduce the risk of falling; and
- regrade the entire edge of the playground area where concrete abuts grass to remove tripping hazards.
“While the park is generally safe and secure, improvements as noted above are both necessary and required from the author’s point of view,” states the report by Terrance Glover, principal of Urban in Mind.
“The most significant issues [are] vegetation maintenance, stormwater facility protections, and trip hazard correction/mitigation.”
The accompanying staff report says signs can be installed for about $200, pavement markings at the picnic area will cost about $1,000 and addressing the armour stone will cost about $1,000.
This work can be done by township staff, the report states.
Staff recommended installing hip fences along the ditches ($10,000) and perimeter of the park ($40,000) for a total cost of $50,000.
The perimeter fencing should be part of the 2026 capital budget, but the rest of the costs could be covered from the parkland dedication fund or the annual surplus.
Staff anticipate most of the work could be completed in the fall.
Taylor lobbied one more time for underground culverts, saying they are “100 per cent safe,” less expensive than fences, will last longer, and will remove the possible threat of pathogens living in ditch water.
He called the fence “a sight inhibitor” and said grants might be available for culverts.
Council, however, opted to go with the staff and consultant recommendations, although Mayor James Seeley said fencing the perimeter of the park is not necessary.
