A housing complex in Port Coquitlam is entering a contest in hopes that it will win funding to replace an aging neighbourhood playground.
Erica Padley, president of the Meridian Village Tenant Association, said she and her neighbours have entered the Aviva Community Fund contest, which funds projects chosen by people through an online vote. Meridian Village will go up against similar entries from across the country, ranging in everything from community theatre programs to sports initiatives.
Neighbours in the area, Padley said, are encouraging people from across the Tri-Cities to support their effort.
"Our playground is really bad," she said. "It is from the 1980s and one of the support beams is split in half. The slide is tagged. It is dangerous."
The playground has become so run down, she added, that Metro Vancouver, which administers the housing complex, has cordoned off the area.
More than 200 units make up the Meridian Village housing complex but Padley said many kids from around the neighbourhood use the playground. And now that the slide and climbing area at nearby Birchland elementary has been burned by vandals, she said the kids in the area have nowhere to go. The play area at Birchland was torched last week and is not expected to be rebuilt until the fall.
Padley said the tenant association will make its submission to the contest website on Sept. 26. After that, they will be relying on neighbours to support their cause. Voters are allowed to vote once a day during the 10-day voting period and the entry that has the most support will be able to go to the next round, which will take place this winter.
More than $1 million in funding is available in the Aviva contest, and is distributed to several different entries, depending on what is being sought.
For more information about the Aviva Community Fund or to go to www.avivacommunityfund.org.
