After nearly two months out of commission, School District No. 46’s (SD46) playground fields are open again.
“I am very pleased to let you know that your school fields will be opened effective immediately,” said superintendent Patrick Bocking in a letter sent to families with students attending SD46 schools.
The fields were closed the first week of September after shards of ceramic and glass, bits of wood and shredded plastic were found in the top dressing that had been laid on seven fields by a local contractor in advance of the start of the school year.
Fields at schools in Madeira Park, Halfmoon Bay, West Sechelt, Davis Bay, Roberts Creek, Elphinstone and the Sechelt Learning Centre were promptly closed so maintenance crews could comb them and collect debris.
In mid-September, staff from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change advised the district to retain a qualified professional to guide them on what to do with the material and assigned the file to an environmental protection officer to inspect the Lower Mainland facility where the compost was generated and the contractor that applied it.
“Our remarkable staff have been diligent in removing the material,” Bocking wrote. “We have also had the soil professionally sampled and tested. I am pleased to report that this careful assessment has revealed that the levels of debris and contaminants are within acceptable regulatory standards for student safety.”
Bocking also wrote that since the fields are open to the public on evenings and weekends, the school district can’t guarantee the fields are pristine. “Should any material be found at any time, the principal should be informed,” he stated.
