14 - Friday, ‘ee 16, 1999 ~ North Shore News Hoping for the best at Dundarave Park Deana Lancaster News Reporter deana@nsnews.com FOR decades, Dundarave Park has been a mecca for sea- wali walkers, beach lovers, parents and their children. The same playground equipment has done duty for generations of children’ who have grown up playing on it. Through countless winters the rain has peeled away the paint on the swing set and weakened the joining on the see saw, and in summer, the mirror-smooth surface of the slide has heated up like a cook- ic sheet. In recent years it’s become obvious that it’s time to replace the equipment — and regular users of the park, through polling and consulta- tion by the municipality, felt such a special park deserved special playground equipment. Margot Jones is one of those regular users. Her two children attend Dundarave by the Sea Preschool and when she was asked to be on the playground task force she did- n’t hesitate. “My family has had hours of fan at this park, it’s a big part of my kids’ lives. I felt it would be a labour of love to get involved in helping it.” Once of the jobs Jones took on within the task force was to conipile the results of the pub- lic questionnaire sent out by the municipality. “A lot of the input was ‘fix the equipment, but don’t - London Optical invites you to the f Grand Opening of our new store in NEWS photo Terry Peters WEST Van resident Margot Jones is one of the forces behind “Outreach for the Beach,’an attempt to raise funds for a unique new playground at Dundarave Park. change our park.’ One very clear school of thought was people want to see natural ele- ments — another, from par- ents, was to provide play opportunities, climbing Opportunities for the chil- dren.” Jones and the other mem- bers of the task force began to look at equipment options. They believed that brightly- coloured, pre-formed slides and swings would be jarring and unnatural at Dundarave Park, but they soon began to find alternatives. Natural wood swing. sets, log climbers, bridges and huts: all fit the task force’s wish list as did a “tree fort” — so named because it would be built around a growing tree, rather than because of its dis- tance from the ground. “When the kids can touch the bark, get the sap on their fingers, get leaves in their hair «.. to me, that’s what a park should be about,” said Jones. The hull of a boat, but no more than that, so it could be a different vehicle if the chil- dren imagined it to be. “When the equipment is too fleshed out it doesn’t leave Park Royal South! Until April 18, we'll have great in-store promotions and special discounts to celebrate our Grand Opening! Drop by for refreshments and enter to win fantastic prizes!!! ‘Frame. to°advertise Pius, Special events days FrilApril 16 SatlApril 24 12-4pm 11-3pm East [3th Street N.V. stores only Rodenstock Show - reps will be here with the entire Rodenstock fine - including pieces not normally available in Canada, 295.3 Remote! 295.3 will be at our store Saturday April 24, 11:00 tt 3:00 pm Join us at our store for great give-away priz es and enter to win a SIGNATURE VACATIONS trip for 2 to CALIFORNIA, Staying at the Holiday Inn-at the Pork in Anaheim. No purchase required. London on Optica Park Royal South » 926-6051 Now! much room for creativity — if it’s obviously a choo choo train, the kid gets in and goes ‘woo woo’ and that’s it. It’s a train. That’s all it will ever be.” The task force also wanted to see equipment added that is accessible for children with physical disabilities — equip- ment such as a raised sand play table easily reached from a wheelchair, accessible picnic Sale also available at our North Vancouver s store, 145 E { 3th Street ° 981-0400 snapshot, the PhotoScreener™ is a friendly” way to screen for vision disorders. Works with children as young as 6 months! tables and a flexible, rall-our pathway, which would be stretched acress the sand to the water's edge. “I don’t want you to hear the violins playing or anything, but to get thar close to the water and not be able to get fe the water ... that’s sad,” said Jones. But the cost lor this wish lists — much of it custom designed, or partially so —~ came in at about $150,000, well over the $85,000 the municipality could set aside for the playground. An additional $25,000 had been contributed by the West Vancouver Foundation at the beginning of the project, and another $14,000 is expected from the Nigel Miller Memorial Fund, sct up in memory of the young West Vancouver man who died last Christmas Eve on Cypress Mountain. He was a lifeguard at the park. The task force needed to find another $25,000. Only then they could see their hopes for the park realized. That’s how “Outreach for the Beach” was formed. Jones, preschool teacher Susan Sherwin and four of the other moms from the school have been busy since Feb. 1, writing letters, approaching businesses and trying to get the message out. “] didn’t realize fundrais- ing was such a constant, slog- ging process,” said Jones. “This isn’t an easy sell — it’s not a dire crisis, it’s not babies of crack moms. It has to appeal to people in other ways.” If you can help with the project, or want more infor- mation, call 922-PIER. KidSight It's a good idea child's vision screened early and often. Stop by our store April 14 for a FREE KidSight Screening. Like taking a “kid