Considerations:

• In the case of equipment replacement, the costs of removing the old equipment.
• Storage space and movement of equipment within the school.
• Cleaning and maintenance requirements, and spare parts if needed.
• Installation costs, seismic mounting (commercial grade), and possible HazMat abatement. The school district's costs for doing this work need to be covered by the PAC/school.
• Equipment should be procured to school district standards (e.g, computers, fixtures).

If you are considering repurposing a space within a school, it is important to know that the Ministry of Education prescribes the fundamental use of a school’s space. Approval must be received from the school district prior to proceeding with the repurposing of a space within a school.

Considerations for Welcome Poles:

• Location (access to site, possible expansion zone, utility conflicts).
• Installation (interior or exterior, free standing or building mounted, engineering requirements for installation). The structure to support a Welcome Pole and the costs for this base must be determined before the project begins.
• Ongoing maintenance (restoration, weathering considerations, graffiti or vandalism restoration).
• Lighting Requirements. Lighting must be decided prior to project commencement and costs must be incorporated into the total cost of the project.
• Welcome Poles require very early consultation with the school district’s Facilities Department, prior to artist commitment, to ensure that mounting and engineering requirements are incorporated into the artist’s work.

Considerations:

• Location (e.g., property lines, utilities, expansion sites).
• Permits and fees.
• Lifecycle and replacement costs.
• Equipment considerations (e.g., costs of pieces and replacement parts).
• Surfacing options- wood chips versus poured in place rubberized surfacing.
• Playground area surround options- wood versus concrete surround.
• Accessibility and inclusivity of equipment choices (single participant equipment versus multi-person equipment).

• Playground resurfacing- replacing existing wood chips with rubberized surfacing.
• Playground surround- replacing existing wood surrounds with concrete.
• Equipment upgrades within existing play spaces.

Click HEREfor more information on playgrounds.

• Contact the school administrators to review Policy 806: Outdoor Learning Spaces and the associated Administrative Procedures.
• Create a sustainability plan (e.g., watering, weeding and maintenance).
• Plan for short and long term maintenance of structures and landscape.
• Location considerations: property lines, utilities, expansion sites, etc.
• There are many professional organizations that can support with design. The school district can offer a list of options.

The following are strongly discouraged:

• Planting trees. There are increased maintenance requirements such as watering and trimming, and there are implications of roots and leaves on drainage systems.
• Doing landscaping. There are liability concerns when parents undertake landscaping work themselves.
• Planting fruit bearing trees/plants. Fruits tend to ripen during unoccupied times in schools, dropping their fruits onto the grounds and encouraging visits from various rodents and pests.
• Composting. On site composting attracts pests and rodents.

• Consider placement on site and ramps if required.
• Sea cans must be designed and constructed to comply with municipal guidelines and local fire codes; therefore, schools are unable to purchase standard sea cans. The school district's procurement department can help with the purchase of an appropriate sea can. Please note that purchased containers must be properly vented prior to installation and the school is responsible for installing and maintaining signage on the container as specified by fire code.