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< White Sheds | Problems 2006 | Dumped Concrete >
Wading pool maintenance
Wading pool blocked by storm debris
Request date: May 23, 2006
Tino, the wading pool is clogged with leaves and dirt and the water that collects there is beginning to look like it could be a danger. Could you alert the maintenance crew, in case they are available to fix this?
response May 24, 2006
Mayssan, please get some staff together to clear this water. Please keep me posted on this and let me know when it is done. Our staff on site daily should be informing me of this.
question from Jutta, May 24, 2006
Mayssan is not in town. She says she recalls all of the rec staff cleaning out the pool last year, but not until it had first been mucked out after the winter, by the maintenance crew. That's certainly my recollection.
I noticed around noon that the work has not yet been done. I'm shocked and unhappy that you seem to be suggesting it's turned into a task for the Local 79 staff. The major cleanup was always the job of the Local 416 outside workers with all their equipment -- truck, power washer, city-issue boots, heavy tools. That's why they're paid $20 an hour. Please clarify.
response from Tino, May 14, 2006
This has been done. My expectation of my rec staff on site is to check the middle drain of the wading pool daily. Any debris should be removed. If it is still clogged after that, then I would call the Maintenance crew in. The philosophy here is that, cleaning out the middle drain of the wading pool of leaves is a regular duty performed by the wading pool attendant, who gets paid 8.50 an hour. No shovel needed, just a broom and rubber gloves.
clarification, May 24, 2006
It turns out that Tino did it himself, so the maintenance crew never had to help.
Wading pool unblocked
sequel, May 27, 2006
When the rec staff came to hose down the pool and clear the sand out of the drains, they found that the pool hoses had vanished from the pool pit. A young man doing community service hours spent half a day sweeping and hosing the wading pool with an ordinary hose. This wading pool was built in 1959, so the pipes are pretty old and the drains need thorough flushing. Tricky to do, with limited materials.
urgent request May 28, 2006
The rec staff turned on the centre fountain of the wading pool today because the weather was so hot. The next three days are even hotter (forecast: 31 degrees celsius). But the staff report that the central crank for turning on the water is almost impossible to turn because it's so rusted. A foot-rest by the ladder is so rusty that it's bending. The hinge on the heavy metal cover of the wading pool's central chamber appears almost eaten through by rust.
This playground and the wading pool had an attendance of over 500 people in the course of the day (Sunday). Would it be possible to replace some of the rusted parts before the beginning of the calendar summer?
Response from Tino May 29, 2006
This work usually gets done before the end of June. I will find out when Dufferin is scheduled to be done and see if I can move it up.
Response from Jutta May 29, 2006
Thanks for passing this message along.
If you look at the Dufferin Grove wading pool, I think it's pretty evident that this work has not been done in any June -- or any other month -- for quite a few years. I've heard that there are only four City Parks and Rec plumbers for the whole of the former City of Toronto. If that's the case, it's understandable that wading pool plumbing is not kept in good repair.
Update, July 30, 2006
The plumbers replaced some fo the rusted parts in the wading pool pit. An outside company came and flushed out/vacuumed the built-up debris. The pool's water turn-on is still hard to open and close, but on the whole it's better.
Wading pool pit with rusty pipes
Rusty crank for turning on pool water
request from park on-site staff Mayssan Shuja to Parks supervisor Peter Leiss, August 20, 2006
The water outlet that fills the wading pool has still not been fixed. I gather Tom is out of town but this is now a health and safety issue. Staff are twisting themselves to open and close the valve – it’s a risk since the foot bar is still broken in the pit. You called a work order for this about a month ago – can you please follow up.