Excitement is building at a local elementary school where installation is underway for a new inclusive playground.
The parent advisory council from Ecole RW Bobby Bend School in Stonewall has been fundraising for the past year to purchase a playground that will be accessible for children of all abilities.
On Tuesday, Sept. 12, Murray Lord and his team at Colcat Enterprises broke ground on the project, and the installation is already in its finishing stages.
“Anthony Cornwell, head of maintenance of the school division, and his team are finishing the landscaping around the playground by adding new pea gravel from Waring Landscape supply in town,” said PAC president Amanda Clarke.
“Once this is completed, the last thing to do is to install the two saucer swings and the playground will be open for our school and community use.”
Clarke extends gratitude to all involved in bringing the project to fruition.
“A huge thank you to my team at the parent advisory council for your endless hours of work on this project. Thank you to Colcat Enterprises for their amazing work installing the playground. The students at Ecole RW Bobby Bend will forever be thankful. Thank you to Push No More Snow in Stonewall for all their help as well,” she said.
“Thank you to the maintenance team at the school district for all their help on the project and to all the students for their hard work with fundraising. A huge thank you to the community and sponsors of Stonewall. We raised over $65,000 of donations from you towards this project, which we will forever be thankful to you for.”
Diamond-level sponsors ($5,000+) include the Stonewall Tim Hortons location, Access Credit Union, Red River Co-op, Rockwood Quarry Producers, Interlake Salvage & Recycling, Stonewall Kinsmen & Kinettes Club Stonewall and the Stonewall Teulon Tribune.
Platinum sponsors ($1,000 to $4,999) include Sigfusson Northern, Deprez & Associates Private Wealth Management, McKillop team at Re/Max Town & Country, Patterson Mechanical, Accent Environments, Brandt Tractor, SMS Equipment, Stonewall Legion Branch 52, Stonewall Quarry Days, One Insurance, Cooperators & Inview Insurance and LGW Charity Golf Tournament.
Gold sponsors (up to $1,000) include West End Tire General Aggregate, Boonstra Farms, Payworks, Grantham Law Office and Prairie Zen.
The support from the community has been incredible, Clarke added.
“We built this together. We did it — we should all be proud,” she said.
“Thank you to École RW Bobby Bend School’s parents, students, staff and community members for their fundraising efforts.”
All are welcome to attend the grand opening of the play structure on Oct. 11 at 5:30 p.m., followed the parent advisory council’s annual general meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the school library.
Tribune photo by Lana Meier and Amanda Clarke
