New playground equipment is open for use, designed specifically for kids aged two to five. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

play on

Newest addition to Maffeo Sutton Park playground opens

Oct 20, 2022 | 4:10 PM

NANAIMO — The fences are down and kids officially have full reign of the playground once more.

Construction has wrapped on phase two of playground work at Maffeo Sutton Park, completing an upgraded and accessible space designed for kids aged two to five

Charlotte Davis, City manager of parks, told NanaimoNewsNOW the new section carries on themes of accessibility and inclusivity.

“It was the key thing we were aiming for in the design of this playground. We’ve got some really innovative equipment that allows people of all different mobility types to play together. That also means wheelchair users and intergenerational play, so grandparents playing with their grandchildren.”

Included are several climbing structures, musical instruments, tactile play areas and a custom-designed canoe carved by Snuneymuxw artist Noel Brown.

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The new park also included a new wheelchair swing which Davis said is unlike anything in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island or potentially in B.C.

The swing itself was donated by the Nanaimo Lions Club.

A custom-carved canoe from Noel Brown provides not only a beautiful visual piece, but a practical climbing structure for small children. (submitted photo)

Davis said they also made sure there were some hide-away areas for kids.

“We’ve also got some nature play elements, some logs that were salvaged from our Bowen Park trail project are now being reused in this playground, so it’s nice to come full circle there.”

Crews have been on-site at the playground since August, removing the old, metal structure and swings along with the loose gravel floor.

Upgrades transform the space into one large, relatively flat area which is fully accessible to all users. Rubber play surface or wood chips extend from the walkway by Swy-a-Lana Lagoon to the Rotary Centennial Garden.

Phase one of the upgrades were completed in June 2020.

The newest addition joins seamlessly with phase one of the project, completed back in 2020. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

The continuous rubber matting connecting the two sections is both functional and educational, according to Davis.

“It’s all one big space, it’s a continuing story if you will. We have really fun, bouncy rubber surfacing that tells a story of the Millstone River, we have the coho salmon inlaid in there and it tells a story.”

Cost for the upgrade was around $680,000 with a large majority covered by grants and donations.

Kids eager to be among the first to try it out were already using the new gear as fences were being dismantled on Thursday, Oct. 20.

“We just went and checked it out this morning,” Morgen, mother of three-year-old Arie who was playing, told NanaimoNewsNOW.

She said the new playground additions are great for the park and the younger kids.

“This is his favourite here, the slide…it’s hard to get him to leave.”

A host of new play stations are included in phase two of the Maffeo Sutton Park playground, including musical instruments and drums. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

–with files from Jordan Davidson

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