One of the predictable results of the growth and expansion in Weyburn's newest residential area, in the Assiniboia Park School area, is the strain being felt both by the school, and the playground situated on the school grounds.
Thus, it was not all that surprising when the school-community council approached Weyburn city council for support and help in expanding their playground, not only for the increased numbers of children currently attending the school, but for the future numbers that will be coming due to the new houses that are and will be constructed in that area.
Perhaps due to the newness of the situation, or its unique nature, but city council has not had this kind of request before where not only did they ask for use of city-owned "green space", but also cash assistance of $25,000 (with a total price tag of $100,000, if everything is put in that they're planning for) - and perhaps because of that very thing, the size and scope of the request, it was turned down by city council.
The request likely came to the city because city-owned land was involved, but when it's involving a school playground, shouldn't such a request first go through the board for the Â鶹´«Ã½AVeast Cornerstone School Division? Cornerstone is going to have their hands full with this situation in another way, namely that school attendance boundaries are in need of adjusting to reflect the growing population of the city.
What this situation speaks to more is a lack of vision or perhaps of long-term planning by the school division, who are now trying to get portable classrooms brought in to handle the excess student population that are swelling classroom sizes.
There were words of warning issued a few years ago that this would happen, when the plans were first emerging about combining the junior high grades at the Comp along with closing Haig and one other elementary school. These words, which are right now coming true, show the lack of foresight in not correctly anticipating the growth this city would see with all the construction and new families moving into not only the city but the surrounding areas - and it begs the question of how a board can be looking at closing two schools when there is such growth occurring?
What the board should do is talk to the city about getting some of that land so they can properly expand the playground to accommodate the children who are there, and the children yet to come. -Greg Nikkel
