Apparently it is not all child’s play getting subdivisions in place – especially when playground equipment is required.
Harj Gill and Rob Wylie were at Minto council June 4 about council’s resolution of last month requiring a playground be included as part of a subdivision agreement.
Wylie said his concern is that the request seemed to “come out of the blue.” The cost of installing $25,000 worth of playground equipment will make an impact on the small scale development, he said.
He said previous discussions had included fencing and the current request seems to include even more costs.
Mayor David Anderson said he had spoken with the clerk and recreation department and noted the proposal is still a preliminary agreement. He added that council’s endorsement of the idea is only one of many parts of the agreement.
Anderson said Minto is trying to promote a more active community … and the town is a place where families belong. He suggested that for a subdivision promoting affordable housing, a playground would be an asset for the sale of the properties.
Wylie contended he was not arguing the playground is a bad idea, but he again stressed that this is not a large subdivision and another $50,000 of added costs will affect the profits of the project. He added it has also taken considerable time for the project to reach even this stage.
Gill commented that they had anticipated certain costs, but this, on top of the delays, is causing a squeeze on the development.
Anderson said that while he had yet to discuss the idea with council, there might be an option to work in partnership with the municipality.
But, Anderson said he believes that similar resolutions may be a trend and will affect other new subdivisions in Minto, too.
