Safety concerns at the new Blakeburn Lagoons Park in Port Coquitlam have School District 43 trustees fighting for a fence they say is needed to keep kids out of the water.
Tuesday, the board of education voted to send a letter to PoCo council asking the city to reconsider its decision to not pay for a fence to separate the school grounds from the park.
Adding 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 so students don’t try to get into the lagoons would cost $25,000.
The city says there is no budget in the park plan for the fences so money would have to come from general capital reserve. PoCo wants the school district to take any additional measures it deems necessary.
But trustees say the city should pay.
Opting for what she called a “congenial” approach, PoCo Trustee Judy Shirra proposed the letter but not before a number of trustees were critical of PoCo's decision not to fund a fence.
“Maybe they should follow their own bylaws,” said Coquitlam Trustee Diane Sowden, who said most cities have bylaws requiring fences around swimming pools.
“We absolutely need to be supporting the school and the safety of the local community,” agreed Coquitlam Trustee Barb Hobson.
“I’m a little dumfounded here,” said PoCo Trustee Michael Thomas, “It’s two wooden rails. It might as well say ‘climb me’ on it.”
And Port Moody’s Keith Watkins pointed out that the students' safety is paramount.
Trustees are concerned the only fence separating the elementary school from the lagoons would be a four-foot wood fence.
But PoCo said in a letter that the city will not be amending its design for the park to provide for any additional fencing within the park or adjacent to the school. As well, plantings next to the lagoons are expected to act as an additional deterrent.
Trustees hope to be able to meet with PoCo councillors on the issue early in the new year, before the park opens to the public in the spring.
