ABERFOYLE – Puslinch council has agreed to fund a safety study at Boreham Park at the urging of the ad hoc group Concerned Residents of Puslinch.
But this will be the last study of Boreham Park, depending on the outcome of the study, Mayor James Seeley said at the Sept. 25 meeting.
“My position is this is the last review of this facility and the recommendations that come out of this, if there are any, is the last time. I feel we’ve looked at this enough,” he said, referring to several studies done at the request of the group.
An accessible playground was installed at the park, located on Boreham Drive in Arkell, over the summer of 2023 and officially opened last October.
Featuring a climbing apparatus, a slide, a cushioned ground surface and a shade structure, it replaces the outdated metal slide and swing set.
The cost of the park project was $208,882. The township received a Trillium grant worth $150,000 which helped defray the cost.
Aberfoyle resident Bruce Taylor has delegated to council on numerous occasions about the park, before and after it was constructed, on behalf of Concerned Residents of Puslinch.
Taylor contends the drainage ditches that run through the park are dangerous to children. He says that on at least one occasion, he had the ditch water tested and it contained e-coli.
And the ditches, which range from five to eight feet deep in places, pose a danger to people with disabilities and make the park non-compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Taylor has said.
Through numerous emails to councillors and the Wellington Advertiser over the past three years, Taylor has said he believes:
- the drainage ditches should be filled in and the grade of the park be levelled;
- the ditches could be filled in for about $20,000;
- there is a danger of children drowning in the ditches when full of water;
- water in the drainage ditches is contaminated;
- councillors are opening themselves and the township to liability by not addressing the ditches;
- putting hedges along the ditches makes them more dangerous by masking the change in elevation;
- there should be signs warning of the dangers of the ditches as well as other park rules and contact numbers to report issues.
Taylor has also accused council of not caring about children or pets or the safety of people with disabilities.
Council has responded to Taylor’s complaints.
In 2023 it instructed GM BluePlan, its contracted engineer, to take a high-level look at drainage in the park.
GM BluePlan estimated it would cost between $1 million and $3 million to bury the infrastructure.
The culverts in the park are part of the stormwater management system for the neighbourhood, so it’s not as simple as filling in ditches, the engineer states in its memo.
“Therefore, we believe the open channels within the park are not similar to a typical drainage ditch/roadside ditch in that they serve functions beyond strictly conveyance of flows,” states an Oct. 16 memo that council discussed at its Oct. 25 meeting.
“Further review and discussion with MTE (Ministry of the Environment) may be required to confirm the function of the pond.”
On Sept. 25 council agreed to hire Urban In Mind to look at the safety of the park as a whole and not just the playground equipment.
Council also agreed to hire Tatham Engineering to provide a description of the function of the storm water management system as context for the park.
The total cost of the study is about $5,000. Tatham’s portion is $1,500.
Councillor John Sepulis noted the stormwater management piece is an important component of the study.
“People are still thinking you can cover everything over and it will be hunky-dory. That is not the case,” said Sepulis.
He added the stormwater management system is part of the township’s overall control for 100-year storms.
“To cover it in, you will have major flooding beyond current floodlines,” he said.
Other councillors agreed that stormwater management is the primary function of the park. But they also want to be sure people who use the park are safe.
The study is expected to be completed this year.
“I hope that council will be satisfied with this final review of the park and how the stormwater management works and the safety concerns if there are any,” said Seeley.
“Because the amount of staff resources in constantly reviewing this facility has been draining on the corporation.
“Let’s get it looked at and get it done and consider the topic closed.”
