By Steve Hubrecht
A newly revamped playground in Mount Nelson Athletic Park (MNAP) in Invermere is set to open soon.
Eager kids and curious adults alike have watched over the past few weeks as old playground equipment was removed, and new apparatuses installed.
District of Invermere officials say it should be open to the public very soon (if it isn’t already by the time this issue of the Pioneer hits newsstands).
The changes and upgrades are meant to make the MNAP playground more accessible for all users, including people with mobility challenges and the elderly, among others. They are just the first step in a longer-term overhaul of Invermere’s parks and green spaces.
“It has a lot of accessible aspects. We want it to be inclusive,” Invermere Mayor Al Miller told the Pioneer, citing, for instance, the new rubber base for the playground.
PHOTOS JENNY HUBRECHT
The playground upgrades cost $300,000. Of that total, $150,000 came from grant funding, and $150,000 comes from District of Invermere reserves.
“Some of the apparatuses that were there were more adult-oriented, and we wanted to make it more youth friendly,” said Miller.
He noted that most of the playgrounds — as well as other green spaces and recreation areas — in Invermere have accessibility issues, and this needs to change, he said.
“It will be a broader effort, with all playgrounds,” added Miller, although he cautioned that all of this will take a long time.
This overall effort is still so much in its infancy that Miller said the district has not yet identified which Invermere playground or green space will be next to get accessibility upgrades.
“There’s nothing in the works yet,” he said. “It was an obvious choice to start first at the MNAP playground, because it is so well-used by the general public and is used by a very large demographic — young and old. Where we go after this, I don’t yet know.”
The District of Invermere and the Village of Radium Hot Springs have taken some steps toward increasing accessibility in recent years, but some projects asked for by residents and accessibility advocates for years have seen no action. For instance, district council and staff have been pressed multiple times over the past decade to create an accessible ramp or another accessible entrance and exit to Lake Windermere at Kinsmen Beach, similar to what exists at James Chabot Provincial Park.
Pushed by the B.C. Accessibility Act, which mandated all municipalities in the province to establish accessibility committees by September 2023, the Village of Canal Flats, the District of Invermere, the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK), and the City of Cranbrook have banded together to form the East Kootenay Accessibility Advisory Committee. (The Village of Radium Hot Springs has its own accessibility committee.)
The East Kootenay committee has launched an introductory survey, seeking public feedback on identifying, removing and preventing accessibility barriers in these four municipalities, including in their physical infrastructure, in their information and communication, and in their delivery of programs and services.
The survey runs until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16. It can be filled online, in hard copy, or by phone. To do the survey online visit engage.rdek.bc.ca/accessibility, and then follow the link at the bottom.
To get a hard copy visit District of Invermere, Village of Canal Flats, City of Cranbrook. RDEK offices, or ask to have one mailed to you. To do the survey by phone call 1-888-478-7335.
