Calgary could close 960 playgrounds in the next decade if funding boost isn’t approved: report

City officials say many of Calgary's playgrounds are in disrepair and could reach the end of their lifespan in the next decade if no money is committed.

The City of Calgary could shutter more than 80 per cent of its community playgrounds without replacements unless council approves nearly $200 million in funding over the next 10 years, a city report says.

The report, which will go to the Infrastructure and Planning Committee on Wednesday, shows 960 of the city’s 1,172 playgrounds are projected to close by 2036 “if current funding levels remain unchanged.”

“It’s important for Calgarians to know what’s at stake. The vast majority of playgrounds will no longer be here unless this council takes action here now to address this,” Mayor Jeromy Farkas said Tuesday.

City officials say 54 per cent of Calgary’s playgrounds are at least 20 years old and hundreds are set to reach unsafe conditions in the next five years alone.

The city report sets out four options for council to consider, with one seeing a $5.8 million annual investment that would result in 960 permanent playground removals by 2036.

The option that would retain or replace all 1,172 playgrounds, which is administration’s recommendation, would require $19 million in annual funding over 10 years — $190.5 million in total, including operational investments.

“I think it’s part and parcel of what we’re grappling with overall as a council right now when it comes to our growth and infrastructure,” said Ward 8 Coun. Nathanial Schmidt.

“The city has changed very quickly and we’re now playing catch up with how that change has affected our service levels.”

If Wednesday’s committee approves administration’s recommendations, it would still need to be approved by council.