New playground equipment was installed on October 19 and 20 in the Vistas, in part due to efforts of the Olds Rotary Club.
The effort was a partnership between the Rotary Club, the Town of Olds and a group of contractors that work with Cowling Homes. The Rotary Club put $25,000 toward the park, with the town matching it and contractors supplying another $25,000 in materials and donations. The Rotary Club's portion came from funds raised through a casino night the group held earlier this year in Red Deer.
The equipment was purchased locally through The Sweetman Group, who also helped install the equipment.
Bryan Beal, community services director with the Rotary Club, said the project was initiated through a conversation with Kelly Giesbrecht, the town's parks and facilities foreman.
“The Olds club had never done a playground park, and so (Giesbrecht) gave us a couple of options where we could go and (we) picked a brand new area, instead of a retrofit of an old park,” Beal said.
After the contractors did some preparation work of the area, several dozen volunteers from the Rotary Club, the Olds High School Spartans football team, Olds Special Olympics, the Royal Canadian Air Cadets Squadron #185 and the contractors installed the playground equipment on October 19 and 20. Concrete to anchor the equipment in place was expected to be poured this week.
A gravel base around the playground equipment will also be installed and then pea gravel placed over that to make the surface safe for small children. Beal said a set of swings for older children and five fitness stations for adults, benches and picnic tables will complete the park.
“Eventually trees will line around and it will be quite a recreation area,” Beal said.
"The Olds club had never done a playground park, and so (Kelly Giesbrecht, the town's parks and facilities foreman) gave us a couple of options where we could go and (we) picked a brand new area, instead of a retrofit of an old park."Bryan Beal, community sevices director, Olds Rotary Club
