Councillor’s effort pays off with new playground

It was a few years ago that the community of Kemnay lost its baseball diamond. Falling into disrepair, the baseball field needed to be taken down.

A void was created at the Kemnay Recreation Centre in its wake — an empty space where children used to be able to play.

A community effort was put together to address this issue. Helping lead the effort was Coun. Kaley Mykula, who was determined to get a playground put in.

“She was the one out there making these connections, getting these donations, being a liaison with different community partners … she was connecting with everyone,” Regional Municipality of Whitehead CAO James Maxon told the Sun.

Through outreach, Mykula made the first crack at the playground, leading to an avalanche of community contribution.

She secured $10,000 in grant money, and when the district saw that they put up $20,000 for the project. And with a follow-up of volunteering and resources from community members, the playground was put together and officially opened on Aug. 22.

“I almost cried. It was such a great moment,” Mykula told the Sun. “I think a park, a playground really symbolizes family. And at the end of the day, what is a small community if not children and families?”

It’s a first in the area, Maxon said. The only other playground is on school district property at Alexander School — making the other playground inaccessible during school hours.

But the new playground at the Kemnay Recreation Centre at 91 Daly St. can be used by anyone during the daytime.

Named Victor Rochelle Park, it pays respect to a community player who was instrumental in completing it. The councillor said it was Rochelle who helped her connect with community professionals who could provide resources like gravel and concrete.

“We were blown away by the surge of volunteers and significant donations,” said RM of Whitehead CAO James Maxon. “This has been a big win for the community.”

At the last minute, said Maxon, donations increased. Benches, concrete, wood, and gravel that went into the playground came in with discounts or even as donations altogether. The total cost for the structure was about $25,600.

He said the district hopes the playground serves the whole area surrounding Kemnay, giving people a play structure not too far a drive from their homes to take the kids out for entertainment.

Maxon mentioned that after the ball diamond came down in recent years, the RM had noted that the area had to continue to serve recreational needs: “This playground filled the void.”

He said there’s a need for recreation facilities in the area. The community is the second-most dense in the RM of Whitehead, and its demographics called for something like a playground.

“Kemnay is a growing community. It’s got a lot of young families.”

The park is designed for children of a wide age range, between two and 12, said Mykula. It took about two weeks to build once the structure arrived in Kemnay.

The Construction Association of Rural Manitoba donated $10,000 to push the project forward. Executive director Shawn Wood told the Sun there were a few reasons they focused on this playground.

“No. 1 is because they are a small community,” said Wood. “There’s a lot of young families moving in there.”

“We look at where our contribution will have the most impact. So if someone’s 10 to 15 thousand dollars short, that’s something [we can help with].”

Maxon said there’s been kids playing on the new Kemnay playground every day since it was built. Moving forward, the it will continue to provide value to the community, Mykula said.

“It will be there with our kids … and our kids kids … it’s just such a sense of community.”

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com