Nearly three years after a driver, believed by the Moose Jaw Police Service to be under the influence of alcohol, rolled their car through and over the Connor Park Challenge Course, the Wakamow Valley Authority reports the playground is safely repaired and again ready for community use.
"I am just so happy that it's finally fixed," laughed Donna MacQuarrie-Bye, general manager of the Wakamow Valley Authority. "There's a little bit of landscaping that still has to be done, we have to add more fire-retardant wood-chip mulch, but we will be holding off on that until next spring."
MacQuarrie-Bye accepted the top job at Moose Jaw's largest park area last December, and said she soon became aware of the Connor Park playground's battered state.
"I knew it was one of those projects that needed some time to get repaired. So, we are at the finish line," she said. Wakamow Valley crews restored the equipment over the last couple of weeks, removed the safety fencing, and levelled off the ground as best they could with the material on site.
Adding more landscaping material will have to wait until after the winter, but the Challenge Course is, nevertheless, ready for play.
The Challenge Course at Connor Park was Moose Jaw's first obstacle course-style playground, and took years of community fundraising activities, and generous donations from local businesses, before it was fully realized in Sep 2019.
Just past midnight on Oct. 31, 2020, a vehicle left the embankment of the roadway leading from 9 Avenue Southwest into Connor Park, went airborne, and made its less-than-graceful landing in the midst of the playground. Crews were forced to removed damaged structures and put up bright orange plastic barriers, and the park stayed that way until now.
MacQuarrie-Bye said she's already received positive community feedback about the repairs.
"We're just happy the community can get in there again, and we're sure everybody will be pleased, because it's been a long time coming."
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