Port Coquitlam’s new Blakeburn Lagoons park will not have extra fencing to separate it from Blakeburn elementary school despite parent fears the area could be a danger to kids.
Tuesday, the city’s budget and infrastructure committee decided against spending $25,000 to add 100 m of chainlink fence along the school and city property line and another 65 m of short wood fence to indicate a no-go zone for students, citing concerns there is no budget for it and money would have to come from general capital reserve.
Instead, a four-foot fence, inside the park trail next to the lagoon, already in the plans, is expected to discourage children and other members of the public from entering the lagoon area while vegetation will also create “a second obstacle” for students or members of the public who try to gain access to the water, a city report notes.
It will now be up to SD43 to take measures on its own property to address any safety concerns, according to the city, which notes that schools next to creeks and streams in other areas are responsible for safety and supervision of students.
Concerns arose in September when parents noticed chainlink fencing coming down that had been up to prevent public access to the decommissioned and contaminated sanitary lagoons site.
The school’s principal, Pam Becker, also expressed concerns, noting that the school has 62 kindergarten children aged four and five, and 39 special needs students, some of whom have “significant needs and can pose a flight risk.”
Several meetings were held to discuss options but with this city decision, any new fencing would be the school district’s responsibility.
Open next spring, the new park is being cleaned up and replanted to create a 27.2-acre natural park and is an extension of the existing Blakeburn Park, next to Blakeburn elementary. Cost of the project is $3 million.
There is now blue construction fencing up to separate the school and park from the construction site.
