Westlock Elementary School has a new $8,000 chain-link fence along its southeastern border.
School principal Pierre Ouimet noted that while he was very happy the work was done by the end of the day Nov. 18, the decision was made at the district level.
“The issue started a couple months back when there was a bunch of vehicles parked on the field during our Friday Night Lights football event and in this year the weather was soggy,” he explained. “The result of the hundreds of vehicles being on the field caused damage to the field and playground. This prompted the district to put up a four-foot fence to stop vehicles of having access to the field.”
Despite the recent damage to the field, Pembina Hills Public Schools assistant Supt. Dave Garbutt noted that the fence has been contemplated for years.
“The reason first and foremost is just the safety of the kids,” said Garbutt. “Most of other school grounds are fenced — practically all of them actually. It makes sense, for the dollar amount. In the end, I hold the bag for the decision.”
Garbutt said the idea of adding a fence was being looked at already, but the recent furor added urgency to the process.
“That was one of the few schools that was not fenced off along the road,” he said. “There also was the issue at one of the football games where the field was quite wet. The practice it seems was that the traffic would go park there and it chewed up the field. We certainly heard from a lot of people in the community.”
While the damage to the field was unsightly and potentially dangerous, Ouimet said it didn’t break the bank.
“Some of the members of the football team were already out there in the fall and they fixed up some of the ruts and such,” said Ouimet. “I don’t think we’re talking very much, if anything, to repair the damage to the field. Grass is pretty resilient. We’ll have a look at it in the spring.”
The fence features a gate to allow for ambulances and maintenance vehicles to enter and exit.
“One of the concerns with full-contact football was that maybe an ambulance could get in, or maybe an equipment truck,” said Garbutt, adding that there will still be plenty of spaces for spectators. “There is parking around there. Lots of other communities and fields don’t let you drive right on the field. You have to use the parking available.”
Neither Garbutt or Ouimet expect any further enforcement will be needed at this point.
“The fence should send a clear message, I should hope,” noted Garbutt. “A fence is a deterrent, but nothing is ever going to be perfect, I don’t think. We’re relying on people to use common sense.”
