KAMLOOPS — A local park is in the running for a $100,000 upgrade from the BCAA Play Here contest.
The playground at Marion Schilling Elementary School in Valleyview is decades old, and the school district is constantly repairing its aging equipment.
The Parent Advisory Council has raised around $5,000 to replace the old wooden structures and other equipment, but around $100,000 is needed to see their vision for the playground become a reality.
“What our plan is is to take out the old playground equipment and replace it with something the entire community can use,” said PAC co-chairperson Jennifer Fraser. “It’s really important to us that we have something that’s safe and accessible for all children.”
The playground is one of 10 finalists vying for the three top prizes of $100,000 each.
The school’s principal, Gordon Cumming, is hoping all of School District 73 will cast votes for the project to win.
“We’re the only school in School District 73 (in the running), so I’m hoping that the other 40 schools will get behind us and everyone will vote, because then it’s not a competition of one school against the other,” Cumming said.
“What I’d love to see is all of my colleagues at schools and all the kids in SD73 getting their parents and families to vote four times a day. We jokingly say, ‘get up in the morning, brush your teeth, vote for Marion Schilling.’”
A skateboard park in Chase is also among the BCAA Play Here finalists.
