It will be a sanctuary for birds, a memorial for a daughter, a classroom and a playground – depending on how much money can be raised.
With one season to go before shovels are due to hit the ground, parents at École Pauline Johnson are in the midst of a last push to raise approximately $475,000 for a new community park.
“We need to get all our funding in place,” said Eileen Huster, media co-ordinator for the group. “We’re looking to start building this summer, so as much as we can get raised by then, that’s what we’ll build.”
Reaching far beyond monkey bars, landscape architect Cornelia Oberlander incorporated an outdoor classroom, wetlands, amphitheatre and log climbing area into her design of the park.
Dubbed the doyenne of landscape architecture, Oberlander’s work includes an embassy in Berlin, Germany, the New York Times building courtyard, and Robson Square in Vancouver, which was done in collaboration with Arthur Erickson.
Intrigued with the PAC’s efforts, Oberlander offered her designs pro bono.
“We couldn’t afford to pay her regular rate, that’s for sure,” Huster said with a chuckle.
Oberlander’s work has a special significance for many in the community, as the log and boulder climbing area is set to be a memorial to Erin Kate Moore, who died in a hiking accident in Lions Bay at the age of seven in 2014.
“When she passed away, which was just such a shock to the community, her family wanted to do something to honour her memory and the memory of all the families who have lost someone,” Huster said.
Erin’s parents, Elizabeth and Michael, are helping raise money for the project. Elizabeth Moore has maintained a blog following the death of her daughter, titled Anatomy of Grace.
“As I pass her school, I imagine her in the sunshine on the monkey bars striving, striving to improve her movement back and forth without pausing or dropping to the ground,” she wrote.
The family have chosen to remember Erin’s life through the playground.
“However, we encourage parental participation in this project to celebrate the life and spirit of your own children – their play, joy and exuberance as much as a memorial to our own child,” the Moores stated on the PJ Community Park website.
The notion of refurbishing the school’s playground came about three years ago, but when parents inspected the hefty price tag, a realization dawned on them.
“For that money we could do something that’s really interesting and new and much more in tune with nature,” Huster said.
Playing outside is frequently associated with longer attention spans, less stress, and a better ability to assess risk, Huster noted.
When finished, the price is expected to be somewhere between $450,000 and $500,000, she said.
At the moment, Huster estimated they’re probably close to halfway there, with no small thanks owing to community generosity.
British Pacific Properties has pledged to donate aggregate, timber and boulders as well as the labour to get it to the park. On April 7, Whole Foods in West Vancouver is set to donate five per cent of their sales to the park. Area preschools and the West Vancouver Seniors’ Activity Centre have also promised to lend a hand.
“This is really, truly meant to be a community amenity, it’s not a school park only,” Huster explained.
