Four new benches will be added to Hollinger Park next year.
The additions are to deter kids using the splash pad at the popular park from accessing nearby Algonquin Boulevard and will be installed in spring 2020.
Earlier this month, Timmins council asked staff to look into installing fencing as a safety measure.
This week, director of community and development services Mark Jensen strongly recommended four decorative benches instead. They will be installed north of the path to the splash pad, where there is already one bench.
Because the park is an open space, Jensen said fencing would detract from that feel.
“The benches would also provide a place for parents or caretakers to sit in addition to deterring kids from walking through to Algonquin,” he said.
The splash pad, according to the report, is 282 feet from Algonquin Boulevard, with the nearby play structure being 266 feet from Brunette Road.
"To staff's knowledge there have been no incidents involving children being injured as the result of running from either of these popular recreational structures onto these nearby municipal roadways," it reads.
The cost for four, 12-foot by four-foot benches is $9,600.
According to a staff report, 120 feet of four-foot-high fencing would range from $3,900 for chain link to $13,500 for ornamental fencing. The estimated cost to surround the splash pad with fencing is $7,800 to $27,000.
Coun. Noella Rinaldo is the one who brought up the safety issue.
She noted the design of the new splash pad doesn't have the half wall that made a barrier in the design of the previous one.
She agrees that they don't want to close the park in and is willing to try the benches to see if it works.
Questions about fencing to accommodate snowmobiles are also addressed in the report.
It notes that temporary snow fencing is installed at the park during the winter months.
"The snowmobile club historically provided the fencing and its annual install/removal. In recent years the city has assumed these responsibilities. This fencing is installed annually in order to prevent snowmobiles from running in an uncontrolled manner through the park. This is particularly important when the city is hosting winter programming at this location," reads the report.
