A local resident says her toddler nearly jumped through a gap in the railing above a downtown marina, but she managed to get a temporary fix from city hall.
Steph Butland posted an image to social media last week showing a missing link in the fence along the foreshore near Fisherman’s Wharf, saying her two-year-old “almost jumped through before I grabbed him.”
“He’s just a very adventurous toddler,” she told the Mirror. “It was a little bit of a terrifying moment, thinking about ‘Oh my goodness, I could have lost him.'”
She contacted the city’s public works department after the harrowing experience. Jason Decksheimer, acting director of operations, confirmed the railing is city infrastructure.
| Plastic zips block off a broken section of railing in downtown Campbell River, July 17, 2019. Photo by David Gordon Koch/Campbell River Mirror |
“Our Operations staff did receive the same information that was posted to Facebook from a resident last week and were able to temporarily secure the gap in the railing until we can have a contracted welder come in and make permanent repairs,” he said in an email on Tuesday.
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“The remainder of the guardrails along that stretch of foreshore have since been inspected to ensure that any other loose or deteriorated posts can be repaired at the same time.”
On Wednesday morning, the Mirror confirmed that several plastic zip ties now close the gap. Butland was pleased to hear that her complaint got some results.
“I guess it’ll be a lot safer anyway, for kids and pets and everything… I’m really happy that they’re doing something about it,” she said.
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