Parent pitches playground fence at Lewes Canalfront Park

A parent’s safety concerns have sparked a campaign to get the City of Lewes to install a fence around the new playground at Canalfront Park.

Siobhan Park, who has two young children who play there, pitched the idea at the Aug. 18 parks and recreation commission meeting. She said 200 people have signed a petition supporting a fence.

Park’s concern is that young children could wander from the playground and into the nearby Lewes-Rehoboth Canal.

She said a fence is a preventative measure that could avert a tragedy.

“The playground is 45 steps from the water’s edge; in other words, a 15-second toddler sprint, which I did have my 3-year-old run,” Park said.

Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related deaths for children ages 1-4, according to Park, who is a pediatric critical care physician assistant. 

Park said a fence would not create a barrier, but increase inclusivity for parents with neurodivergent children because it would give them a safe place to visit.

Lewes Parks and Marina Administrator Giulia Kirsch said installing a fence at this point would be difficult.

“We are not able to put a fence in because the rubber safety surface has been poured. In order to put up a fence, we would need to put a curb up around the playground and set fence points and posts, which would eliminate the accessibility of the playground,” Kirsch said.

She said the city is looking for other options for a solution.

The concept of a fence seemed to hit a brick wall with commissioners.

Commissioner Anne Colligan said the safety of young children starts with the parents.

“This is a playground for small children. I cannot imagine bringing my kid and not having my eyes on that kid the whole time,” Colligan said. 

The Cape Gazette spoke with parents of small children who were at the playground Aug. 22. They all expressed similar sentiment about a fence.

“The issue is being close to the water? It’s really not a problem if you watch your kids,” said Maria Andrews, who was watching her 5-year-old granddaughter play on the equipment. “As a grandparent, you just watch them.”

“Even a perfect parent could make a mistake,” Park said at the meeting.

Commissioner Rodney Robinson, who oversees the park, said the Friends of Canalfront Park group favors a sign stating that parents must supervise children, rather than a fence.

There has never been a fence around the Canalfront Park playground, which was first installed in 2009. The current playground, which has many updated safety and accessibility features, opened this past March.

It cost just under $400,000. The city received a $125,000 grant from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Trails Program. 

Scott Lean from Kompan, the builder of the playground, said a fence never came up in 18 months of discussions with the city about the new design.

“I’ve been selling playgrounds for eight-and-a-half years, and I’ve only ever had a request for fencing on two projects, one of which we didn’t do,” Lean said.

Park pointed out that local school playgrounds are fenced.

But, Commissioner Mark Shue said it serves a different purpose.

“Fencing around playgrounds in schools is for security, to keep other people from getting to where the kids are,” Shue said.

“Our tennis courts are fenced in, the basketball courts are fenced in, the dog park is fenced in. We’ve made thoughtful decisions to protect our adults, our teens and our pets, so why wouldn’t we do the same for the most precious and vulnerable among us, which is our children?” Park said.

Kay Carnahan, acting chair of the commission, said the fence will be on the agenda for the commission’s Monday, Sept. 15 meeting.