Parents at Vancouver elementary school frustrated by 'soupy mess' of a playground

Parents at Elsie Roy Elementary in Vancouver are speaking out about the conditions of the playground used by students.

They say a poor drainage system creates large pools of water during rainy weather that cover the play area and paths leading up to the school entrance, and turn an adjacent field into a mushy mud hill. 

"The field becomes essentially a soupy mess of water and goose poop and dirt," said Mokah Shmigelsky, chair of the Elsie Roy parent advisory council. 

"We end up with muddy puddles and the children end up having to wait around or play in mud and filth all day long."

Shmigelsky and other Elsie Roy parents are calling on the City of Vancouver and park board to find at least a temporary answer to fix the issue. 

The playground located on David Lam Park is a public space owned and maintained by the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Park Board. Nearly 425 students at Elsie Roy and children at Dorothy Lam Children's Centre use the area daily. 

Shmigelsky has been at the school for nearly 10 years with her three kids. She says the condition of the playground has been "an issue as long as [she] can remember," and has gotten worse in recent years.

"It's hard as a parent to have to constantly wash and empty out boots at the end of every day," she said. "It would be a lot nicer if there were play areas that didn't involve such mess."

'It's just finger pointing'

Jay Markowsky has been an Elsie Roy parent for two years and has tried every avenue to remove the mud and puddles.

"The park wasn't designed properly … I've personally filed at least, I would say, 15 or 20 complaints … Every parent I've talked to has done it," he said, adding they've reached out to the City of Vancouver, Vancouver School Board, and Vancouver Park Board. 

"It's just finger pointing … The city says, 'Sorry, it's a park board issue because the park board manages it.' And when you talk to the park board they say, 'We don't have money.'"

The park board said in a written statement that the park is regularly inspected for safety and serviceability. It added the playground is newer than many others in the city, making it a lower priority for renewal. 

"The most recent inspection was conducted in late September, and no safety issues were observed … Additional minor maintenance improvements are currently underway," the park board said.

Shmigelsky says parents aren't asking the park to be redone with concrete or rubber, but are hoping for a temporary drainage solution.

Markowsky thinks the issue "isn't rocket science" and an affordable solution is possible. 

"Some boarding on the edges and bark mulch would fix the problem until they can … properly fix this," he said. 

In the meantime, he's considered fixing the problem with his own hands. 

"I was even thinking of building some little wood bridges at night and covertly popping them in so that our kids can go to class without muddy shoes."