At the end of August 2020, the editorial board of News.Ykt.Ru asked their readers to send photos of the most neglected playgrounds in Yakutia. As a result, more than 100 photos were received.
This photo campaign provided an impetus for the emergence of a new project. Sinet Spark decided to work on an interesting social project - they installed modern children's and sports complexes in 12 yards of Yakutsk.
The purpose of the project is to test the playgrounds of various designs and from different manufacturers, as well as to renovate the city areas with the support of the authorities and patrons.
“When we saw that there were no playgrounds in some yards, and children were playing by the road, we decided to take actions,” says Sinet Spark director Aleksandra Kozulina. “Now there is a three-year improvement program in the city, within the framework of which interesting projects and initiatives for the development of a comfortable urban environment can be implemented.”
As part of the "My Yard" program, we cooperated with the Yakutsk City Administration. Contractors of the city have carried out a large amount of work on the improvement of the yard (asphalting of the roadway and parking spaces, installation of curbs - ed.), and we have undertaken to equip the yards with children's equipment. For this purpose, we have concluded contracts with three partner companies that manufacture and supply safe and certified equipment.
Environmentally friendly
Four playgrounds were made of the most eco-friendly material - wood. The local manufacturer, Profi, which produces sporting goods, wooden and metal building structures, and carries out work on the assembly and installation of prefabricated structures, was engaged in the supply of street furniture.
The playgrounds made of wooden structures were installed at the following addresses:
Richarda Sorge, 7/2
Before
After
The opening of the first playground took place on July 25 in the yard of the apartment building on Richarda Sorge Street, 7/2. The old playground was located near the outdoor toilet.
"There used to be garages and garbage in this place. We are all very glad that such a wonderful playground has been built in a short time. Despite the sand covering, the children are so happy. They have been waiting for it so much." said the head of the Industrial District Elizaveta Sluzhenikina.
At the playground opening celebration, the senior of the playground among children was chosen. The children gladly accepted this challenge and said that they had already begun to monitor order and cleanliness on the new playground: "We are all very glad that we have such a playground, we especially like the big swing and the cobweb. We make sure that no one is littering."
50 Let Sovetskoy Armii, 23/2
Before
After
Klary Tsetkin, 15
Before
After
"We didn't decide on this address right away. There is intensive development in this area, houses are being demolished. And together with the houses, a new playground may be demolished in the future. But the contractors assured us that the equipment is easily dismantled so that it can be safely moved to another place." shared Aleksandra Kozulina.
It was decided to put a playground at this address also because it was completely absent in the yards located nearby. The only children's area was next to a new building on Klary Tsetkin Street, but it was fenced with a code door. The children from nearby wooden houses were forced to play on old playgrounds.
Ptitsefabrika, 10
Before
After
Not forgetting about the classics
Four playgrounds and a workout zone were provided by the company LLC "Vse Postavki". It is a wholesale operator in the market of supplies of construction materials, equipment, and sports equipment. For 19 years of experience in Yakutia, the company has staffed budget institutions and construction facilities in more than 20 districts of the republic.
For the project of "Sinet Spark", the supplier provided complexes that are most often installed in courtyards. In Yakutsk, play areas were supplied from the factories of children's, gaming, and sports equipment (LLC "Ploshadka Export") and "Kinderdomik" (LLC "Mafstroy").
The platforms from the “Vse Postavki” company were installed at the following addresses:
Melioratorov, 6
Before
After
The playground on Melioratorov Street, 6 in the village of Markha is the farthest point of the project. Almost nothing has changed here in the last 30 years. But thanks to "Sinet Spark", the children from Markha got a modern play area. A team of animators added positive emotions and impressions at the playground opening ceremony.
Chelyuskina, 37/4
After a meeting with residents, it was decided to install a playground near the apartment building at Chelyuskina, 37/4. According to them, the children from all over the neighborhood gathered there.
Before
After
The initiative animators of the Gagarin Center for Culture and Contemporary Art helped to organize a memorable playground opening celebration for children and adults.
Three of the 12 facilities were installed in the Industrial District. According to the head of the city council Elizaveta Sluzhenikina, the project "Sinet Spark" can become a good example for other entrepreneurs of Yakutsk.
"It is such happiness to see the joy in children’s eyes! This is a very big event for our district because playgrounds have not been built here for a very long time. We also don't have any sports facilities, playgrounds with outdoor fitness equipment, and just public spaces. We are very grateful to Sinet Spark for such an incredible project and we hope it will become an example for other entrepreneurs," says Elizaveta Sluzhenikina.
Chernyshevskogo, 4/1
Before
After
Ammosova, 4
Before
After
"Initially, we ordered a large children's complex for this address. But the area turned out to be small, so we installed some of the equipment at another address, and we directed the saved funds to the workout playground at Mozhaiskiy, 19/1," explains Alexandra Kozulina.
Mozhaisky, 19/3 - workout zone
The contractors had to install the workshop site by mid-October. But in the course of the work, it turned out that some technologies were violated. At the moment, the contractor has eliminated the shortcomings and refilled the concrete base. The opening of the workout zone is scheduled for the beginning of next week.
This is how the playground on Mozhaisky 19/3 looked before the reconstruction
New solutions
Three play areas were provided by the Romana manufacturer. This company is engaged in the production of non-standard street furniture, and for Yakutsk such complexes are new. The platforms were installed at the following addresses:
Avtodorozhnaya, 40/7
Before
After
One of the goals of the project on the installation of playgrounds is to study the impact of the harsh climate of Yakutia on different types of materials.
"We have selected three suppliers working with different materials and in different price ranges. We are interested in how playgrounds will show themselves in northern conditions. In addition, we will have the opportunity to compare how the equipment wears out depending on attendance because the number of play areas for kids in each district is different," explains the head of Sinet Spark.
Voinskaya, 1
Before
After
Lermontova, 25/2
Before
After
Seven objects at the addresses of 50 Let Sovetskoy Armii, 23/2, Ammosov, 4, Chernyshevsky, 4/1, Ptitsefabrika, 10, Avtodorozhnaya, 40/7, Voinskaya, 1 and Lermontova, 25/2 were made together with the district administration as part of the "My Yard" program.
In the yards where new playgrounds were installed, the Yakutsk City District Administration carried out additional landscaping. Yard areas were filled in and paved, fences were installed where necessary. In addition, sidewalks, a drainage system, lighting of courtyards were made, benches and garbage bins were installed.
"A lot of joint work was carried out to synchronize actions, including between the contractors of Sinet Spark and the mayor’s office, management companies, district councils, and, most importantly, the residents themselves. The organizers of the project picked up the street furniture, controlled the supply and installation of game equipment at 12 addresses. We very positively assess this experience of working with entrepreneurs," said Egor Chemezov, Head of the Urban Environment Department of the Yakutsk District Administration.
In total, within the framework of the "My Yard" program, 150-yard territories are planned to be landscaped in Yakutsk within five years.
First problems
A few days after the opening of the playgrounds, the first signals about equipment breakdowns began to arrive. So, at the playground at Ammosov, 4, unknown people unscrewed and took the fasteners for the Spider grid. The spring swing was stolen from the play area at 50 Let Sovetskoy Armii, 23/2.
In addition, there are cases when some children broke the equipment. "Unfortunately, few people pay attention to information stands. Teenagers often come to the playground and swing on springs for children of three to five years old which causes damage to the equipment," explains the head of "Sinet Spark".
Work has been carried out on all incidents, and the damage has already been repaired.
Future plans
Participation in the program and construction and installation work at the facilities allowed us to work out all the mechanisms and take into account the shortcomings. Next year, Sinet Spark also plans to consider grant support for architects and design organizations for the implementation of initiatives for the development of the city and other projects.
With their pilot, but a successfully implemented project, Sinet Spark wants to attract the attention of other representatives of the business community. 11 playgrounds and a workout zone are the first steps towards improving the landscaping of the city. There is a lot of work in Yakutsk. According to the interactive map, about a hundred sites of the capital of the republic need to be updated.
"We hope that our example of participation in the organization of urban spaces will inspire entrepreneurs and other institutions, and gradually our city will become even more comfortable and attractive. There will be modern, and most importantly, safe playgrounds in every yard, and comfortable public spaces in the districts." the organizers summarize.
Photo: Sinet Spark, Vadim Skryabin, Irina Gorlatova
Author: Anna Lebedinskaya
Source: News.Ykt.Ru