Case Study: Edith McDermott Elementary School
Location: Pitt Meadows, BC
Project Type: School Playground | Revitalization
Installed: 2025
Project Highlights:
- Accessible and inclusive custom play structure
- Sensory play features
- Accessible surfacing
Every child deserves a place to play, belong, and grow. At Edith McDermott Elementary School in Pitt Meadows, BC, an aging playground no longer reflected that vision. With funding secured for a new playground, the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School District partnered with Parkworks to create a vibrant play space that could engage students from grades one through seven while also serving the wider Pitt Meadows community.
Connected to nearby Somerset Park, the school grounds are already an important gathering place. The project created an opportunity to build something that would support active play across a wide range of ages during the school day while continuing to welcome neighbourhood families after hours.
The Challenge
The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School District received $195,000 through the BC Government’s Playground Equipment Program to support the development of a new accessible playground at Edith McDermott Elementary.
The new space needed to engage a wide range of ages and abilities while creating meaningful opportunities for every child to participate. The new playground needed to engage different ages, abilities, and ways of playing without leaving anyone on the sidelines. For elementary students, play is more than recess. It's where confidence grows, friendships form, and challenges become opportunities.
That meant packing an incredible amount of play value into the space without compromising accessibility or inclusivity. Whether students were looking for high-energy climbing adventures, sensory-rich experiences, or quieter ways to play alongside their peers, every design decision was guided by one goal: creating a space where everyone could experience the joy of play.
The Solution
Parkworks developed a playground design that balanced accessibility, different challenge levels, and variety while meeting the school district’s objectives. Throughout the design process, the principal and vice-principal at Edith McDermott Elementary remained actively involved, helping refine the details and select the colours that would bring the new playground to life.
At the centre of the design is a custom Recreational Space play structure from Jambette. Designed for climbing, balancing, sliding, and discovery, the structure invites children to test their limits, build confidence, and return again and again. Accessible stairs and a transfer station help ensure children with mobility limitations can enjoy the structure alongside their peers.
Surrounding the main play structure, Parkworks incorporated a collection of independent play elements from KOMPAN to create space for movement, discovery, connection, and quiet exploration. Spica 1 and Spica 3 spinners encourage active movement and coordination, while the accessible Garden Seesaw creates a shared experience that brings children together. Sensory features like the Sensory Play Panel and Rattle Roller Wheel offer different ways to play, helping more children engage, explore, and feel included.
Accessibility extends beyond the equipment itself. A combination of engineered wood fibre (EWF) from Fibar and strategically placed pour-in-place (PIP) rubber surfacing from Softline Solutions improves access throughout the playground, allowing children using mobility devices to comfortably navigate between the inclusive play elements and participate alongside their friends.
The Implementation
When equipment delivery delays threatened the timeline, Parkworks adapted quickly. By staying proactive, keeping partners informed, and coordinating the next steps before the equipment arrived, the team maintained momentum and delivered the project on schedule.
Parkworks remained in close contact with the school district, installation crews, suppliers, and other project partners throughout the process, ensuring everyone had clear and current information as the schedule evolved. Timelines were adjusted, installation activities were carefully coordinated, and site work continued wherever possible, so the team would be ready to move quickly once the equipment arrived.
This proactive approach helped minimize the impact of the delay and prevented it from disrupting the overall project. By staying flexible, anticipating next steps, and keeping every partner aligned, Parkworks maintained momentum and successfully delivered the playground within the required timeline.
The project demonstrated the value of strong project management, open communication, and collaboration. Even when circumstances changed, the team remained focused on delivering a safe, inclusive, and exciting play space that would serve the school and community for years to come.
The Outcome
Today, the playground is doing exactly what it was built to do: bringing children together through play. Students climb, spin, balance, explore, and imagine alongside their peers in a space designed to welcome a wide range of ages, abilities, and play styles.
Beyond the school day, the playground continues to serve the surrounding Pitt Meadows community. What was once an outdated school playground has become a welcoming destination where students, families, and neighbours can gather, stay active, and create lasting memories together.
By listening closely to the school district’s goals, collaborating with project partners, and remaining adaptable throughout construction, Parkworks helped transform the space into an inclusive community destination that will inspire play, connection, and will be enjoyed by many for years to come.
Whether you are revitalizing an existing play space or creating something entirely new, the Parkworks team is ready to help bring your vision to life!
Project Partners:
- Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District
Parkworks partners with schools and school districts to create inclusive play spaces that students and communities will enjoy for generations. Let's build something extraordinary together!