The playground in Centennial Park, which was scheduled to be removed this week, will be left standing to see more children play on its grounds in the short term.
The update follows a post on the City of Campbell River's social media on Monday (June 9), which let the community know the beloved playground would be torn down because it had reached the "end of its lifespan."
When the news hit the internet, resident quickly voiced their wish for the playground to remain, prompting the city to change its plans. The city received roughly 90 comments from community members on its Facebook post.
One Campbell River mother shared an email she sent to the city on the Facebook post, asking the city not to remove the whole play structure since there's no replacement in the works right now.
"I was the person who reported a damaged post in the playground," says the post. "That post wasn’t even part of the usable structure, which makes it all the more confusing and disheartening to hear that the entire playground is slated for removal."
The mother said the playground is the only one in Campbell River that is consistently shaded – an asset during hot summers. She also listed several components of the playground still in excellent condition, such as the slide, ramp, water pump and more.
"Please consider preserving the functional portions of the playground until a new structure is ready to be installed. Removing everything prematurely not only takes away a vital community asset – it sends a discouraging message about how families and children are prioritized in the inner city."
Another post implored the city not to remove the slide and swings, saying "it’s the only shady park around… my toddler loves it there!"
"Wow, we are blown away by all the love for this little park!" replied the city to the post. "Although the play structure at Centennial Park IS at the end of its lifespan and will need to be removed for safety reasons in the near future, we are going to look at what we can do in the short term to keep the kiddos playing there for a bit longer."
On June 12, city crews were at the playground removing rotten wood from the structure and laying down mulch. The city told residents to stay tuned for updates.
