This spinner was a crowd favourite at Monday's opening. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Recreation

Prince Albert’s premiere playground reopens with exciting expansion

Aug 31, 2020 | 3:05 PM

Local politicians and families were on hand for the grand reopening of the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Inclusive Playground Monday.

The 7,000 foot expansion makes the facility at the Alfred Jenkins Field House one of the largest playgrounds in Canada, at over 17,000 square feet in size.

Donor Malcolm Jenkins of Canadian Tire explained in the age of smartphones and video games, it’s so important to give kids opportunities for active play.

“One of these kids is going to be the next Prime Minister of Canada,” Jenkins said. “And I want him to be fit and healthy, as well as have a good brain.”

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Prince Albert’s Jumpstart Playground, dubbed “Alfred’s Playground” after Jenkin’s late father, is the largest of seven Jumpstart facilities across Canada, all of which feature a variety of specialized play equipment for children with disabilities.

Since its initial opening in June 2019, the park has become a popular destination in the city. While crews installed the expansion, its patrons have spent the summer anxiously awaiting its reopening.

Jenkins called on “assistants” to help demonstrate the new equipment to the crowd. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

Tara Richard told paNOW she and her sons, 11 and five years old, have driven by the site everyday for the past month to check on progress.

“We’d look, ‘Are the fences down?’ ‘Where are we at?’ We’d even talk to the crew that were here [and ask them] ‘How much time left?'” she said with a laugh.

Richard said her eldest son was ecstatic when he heard the official opening date announced on the radio a few days ago, although the family suspected it would be soon thanks to their careful observation.

One of the things her sons like most about the popular park is the opportunity to meet and play with other kids, Richard explained.

Two new slides are included in the expansion. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

Another parent attending the event on Monday echoed her sentiment.

“It’s easy for kids for make friends around here,” Eric Zeeb said.

He said his seven-year-old willingly went to bed at 8 p.m., just so he could wake up early on the day of the opening.

“We’re going to be spending every weekend here,” Zeeb said.

The expansion at the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Inclusive playground is the second in a trio of recreation upgrades to be opened this year to mark Jenkins’ 30th year of owning the local Canadian Tire store.

Jenkins contributed $400,000 to the playground, while the remaining $325,000 came from the provincial government’s Municipal Economic Enhancement Program (MEEP).

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom