Introduction. The Current State of the P. L. Robertson s Field

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2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction The Current State of the P. L. Robertson s Field Integration of the Teachers and Student s Ideas Pollinator Garden Rainwater Management The Incorporation of the Five Sense Maintenance Cost Estimate Table of Figures References...7 1

3 Introduction On Friday October 27th, 2017, students from the University of Guelph, The Niagara School of Horticulture, and professionals from Gelderman Landscaping had a design charrette with the students and staff at P.L. Robertson Public School to improve the school s yard. Better rainwater management, and providing the students with more activities to do on the school grounds were the main concerns, although the students were able to come up with a more detailed wish list for their field. The students and teachers of P. L. Robertson worked with the University students and Gelderman employees to determine what they would like to have in their school ground design. After discussing with the students and teachers of the school, the University students worked with the Gelderman employees to make a design that would include as much of the children s and teacher s wish list as possible. The following day the designs were presented to students, parents, and staff from P.L. Robertson to receive feedback. The students from University of Guelph divided into two groups and came up with two new designs, taking the feedback into consideration. The current state of the P.L. Robertson field was analysed and a design to reduce the faults of the site was created. The designs also included as many elements the teachers and students of P. L. Robertson suggested. For Paws, Pounce, & Play the main concepts of the design concentrated on increasing play and activities, as well as solving the rainwater management problems of the site, while still making it accessible. The Current State of the P. L. Robertson s Field The current state of the P.L. Robertson field is very barren. There is one play structure and a few boulders to play on, but little else to do during the students recesses. There is, also, limited space to play during blacktop recess as the field gets too wet after rainfall due to bad drainage. The playground is located behind houses, within a subdivision, but has a great view of the escarpment. Lumen Christi Catholic Elementary is located behind P. L. Robertson, with city-owned soccer fields and tennis courts in between the two schools. Unfortunately, the school is not allowed to use these amenities often. The playground is currently triangularly shaped, but there is more land beyond the fence line. The students and teachers asked for better water drainage options, so that more of the yard can be used when it is wet outside. Figure 1: Current state of the Triangle Field 2

4 They also asked for more things to do during recess, and a playground that the children can use even after school hours. The students also asked for more specific items to be included into the design, and some were able to be included in the final design. Integration of the Teachers and Students Ideas Some items that were included in the design, that the teachers and students asked for were obstacle courses, expanded blacktop recess area, a pollinator/butterfly garden, wildlife habitats for educational uses, an outdoor classroom area, a soccer field, shade, a maze, storage, and to incorporate the paw logo of the school into the design. The paw logo was incorporated into the design by having the maze in a paw shape, as well as there being an abstract paw in the landscaping of the whole design. The proposed design focused on integrating the creative input of the students and teachers who use the playground. The expansion of the blacktop recess space provides more room for the students and teachers during recesses when the grass areas are off limits, as well as help with water drainage. Big Hill creates a space where there is less noise and provides seating for the students in an amphitheater style. However, the space can Figure 2: Miniture Version of Big Hill have multiple uses, such as, providing a hill for the students to slide down on during the winter time, as well roll down during the rest of the year. It also provides a space for the more theater inclined students, who wish to put on plays or perform during their recesses. The inclusion of topography, trees and a shade structure can provide shaded areas during hot weather, as well as create hiding spaces for playground games. The concept of both shade and hiding place were very important to the students. The naturalized areas are also pollinator/butterfly gardens and they will be used as another educational space to learn about the plants growing and the incoming wildlife that will be attracted to the perennials and new habitats. The playground will also include various physical activity spaces such as a soccer field, an obstacle course, drawing boards and a maze. These will make additional new spaces to play and create. Lastly, the school s mascot of a panther and the symbol of a paw is displayed throughout the playground as a representation of school pride and culture. 3

5 Pollinator Garden The naturalized areas and rain garden can also be a pollinator garden because many of the native flowering species are desired by pollinator species (butterflies and bees). The seed mix that was suggested for the naturalized areas is the Simcoe County from OSC Seeds, which contains 12% Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), 20% Canada Wild Rye (Elymus canadensis), 20% Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), 15% Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), 2% New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae), 1% Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), 4% Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), 5% Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), Figure 3: Ontario Native Garden 20% Sand Dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus), 1% Smooth Blue Aster (Aster laevis) ( Simcoe County Mix - OSC Seeds, 2017). This mix, with the amount of wild flowers in it, would be good for attracting native pollinators, as well as small birds. Planting the plants (carrion flower, serviceberry, and golden currant) that would encourage the taste aspect of the design would also attract pollinators and small birds. Rainwater Management To manage storm water better for the field, the topography is changed drastically. Many hills are added to the site to re-direct and distribute rainwater for better drainage and a raingarden is added to catch a large portion of water and drain it back into the soil better than sod can. Many areas of naturalized land also help to drain water better, and large mulched areas allow the rainwater to seep through. The mulch will allow the students to walk across it without getting muddy, and provide a surface that will not be slippery when wet. The crushed limestone, at the big hill, also achieves the same drainage benefits. Mulch can also be accessible when it is American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) compliant. Crushed limestone and ASTM compliant mulch are accessible, provides optimal drainage, and provides a non-slip surface when it is wet, making them both excellent groundcover. The design does have a border for the mulch to contain it in its designated area, without too much spread across the field. The mulch will also prevent new trees planted within its areas from getting their roots trampled while they 4

6 are still establishing in the ground, making their survival into maturity more likely. Trees planted in the naturalized areas will also have the same benefits. The Incorporation of the Five Senses The proposed design will incorporate the five senses to encourage interaction with the space that the kids will be playing in. They will use taste, by adding native plants with edible berries in naturalized areas for the students, including carrion flower, serviceberry, and golden currant. Smells will occur from flowers, cedar mulch, and the variety of grasses in different sections of the playground. The students will get a sense of touch by the numerous elements the playground will include, like the wood obstacle structures, sand, mulch, and crushed limestone ground covers, as well as the different types of vegetation used. Different grasses will each have different textures, as well as the hard foliage of the coniferous tree differs from the soft foliage of the deciduous tree providing different types of experiences through touch. These trees will also provide texture through their bark, that the student can feel. Some barks will be smooth, while others will be rough. Sight elements will be provided with a new surrounding, as well as adding colour elements. The new topography will provide an interesting landscape to look at, and colours are added by providing flowers, as well as painted design elements. Textures will also provide different sight experiences for the students. The groundcovers will also contribute to the noise element of the design. There are five different materals used for walking Figure 4: Carrion Flower Figure 5: Service berries Figure 6: Golden Currants on (naturalized, wood, crushed limestone, mulch, and lawn) and they all create a different sound and feel. Maintenance The mulch areas will need to be topped up annually, but requires little maintenance other than that. Naturalized areas can be left alone to go wild, and should reseed itself. The lawn will need to be mowed regularly, but the hills on the site will not be so steep that it will cause problems for mowing. The whole design should not need too much maintenance after being installed. 5

7 Cost Estimate For the first phase it is estimated to be $ , and is composed of mostly redoing the topography and adding the groundcovers for the site, so that there is more space for the students to play for blacktop recess, as well as make a more interesting topography to play on. We did not add trees into the cost estimate because the price to buy them and the labor to plant them is quite costly. Alternatively, trees could be donated, or there could be fun fundraisers to pay for the trees. The group also thought that it would be a fun, educational experience for the students if they planted the trees with their class or as an after school activity with their parents. Otherwise, the cost of one tree, plus labour of planting it is $500. The second phase is installing all the play equipment onto the site. It includes beams to walk across, buried tree stumps to walk on or jump over, partly buried tires to crawl through, a log pile structure to hang, climb, and and jump from, boulders for both seating and playing, adding a log forest for weaving and climbing, as well as bridges for crossing the rain garden. The relocating of the chainlink fence is also added in this phase. This will allow trees on the opposite side of the fence to establish, before the students are using that side, increasing the success rate of the trees surviving into maturity. There was also not enough money left over in the first phase to move it right away. The chalkboards are added in this phases as well, even though there is room in the budget for them to be added in the first phase. The price was determined by how much it would cost to construct it from scratch by using 3 ft. x 5 ft. x 0.42 in. cement backer boards, a border created from 1 x 3 x 8 boards, and chalkboard paint, rather than paying more for a smaller prefabricated one. They are located on the plan mounted on the fence shared by the houses. The cost estimate was determined by using Gelderman s pricing sent to the group, as well as the group s own determining of prices. Figure 7 (left): Phase 1 Cost Estimate Figure 8 (below): Phase 2 Cost Estimate 6

8 List of Figures Figure Number and Description Figure 1 Current state of the Triangle Field Figure 2 Miniture Version of Big Hill Asakura Robinson. (2010). Avance Nature Playscape. Retrieved from: Figure 3 Ontario Native Garden Forte, T. (2011). These native plants love clay. Retrieved from Figure 4 Carrion Flower Smooth Carrion Flower. (2017). Retrieved from htm Figure 5 Service berries Zuzek, K., & Berlin, B. (2017). Serviceberry or Juneberry (Amelanchier spp.). Retrieved from umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/serviceberry-juneberry/index.html Figure 6 Golden Currants Fertig, W. (2013). Golden Currant (Ribes aureum). Retrieved from lin-newspapers Figure 7 Phase 1 Cost Estimate Figure 8 Phase 2 Cost Estimate Page Number References Simcoe County Mix - OSC Seeds. (2017). OSC Seeds. Retrieved 5 December 2017, from J: 7