«They really need attention.» What about playgrounds in Mykolaiv?

Children's playground on Naberezhna Street in the center of Mykolaiv, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Three years ago, most of the playgrounds in Mykolaiv were transferred to the balance of the communal enterprise «Directorate of the single customer «Pilot». It was supposed to deal with the restoration of the infrastructure of these sites, but due to the Great War, funding for this direction decreased. Therefore, today the company deals only with current repairs of children's playgrounds: it dismantles worn-out playground structures, independently manufactures elements to replace their parts, and decorates the playgrounds.

How Mykolayiv provides infrastructure for children today, how much money is spent on it from the city budget and what kind of playgrounds should be that meet safety standards — read in the article NikVesti.

What is the current state of playgrounds in Mykolaiv?

Today, there are 998 children's playgrounds in the city, said the director of the utility enterprise Directorate of the single customer «Pilot» Ihor Holovatyi. 93% of them are on the company's balance sheet — 932 sites. However, he added, the total number of playgrounds in the city could be more.

«It is believed that there are 998 playgrounds in the city. But I understand that this is not the case. Because I remember how, at the end of last year, we sent letters to the administrations of each district with a request to carry out work on determining the sites that have not yet been transferred to the balance sheet of KP Pilot on the territory of the districts. All administrations answered us. One of the administrations found eight sites, and as a result handed over 90 sites to us,» explained Ihor Holovaty.

Director of the utility enterprise «Directorate of the single customer «Pilot» Ihor Holovaty, August 2024, photo NikVesti

The process of transferring sites to the balance of «Pilot» is still ongoing, says the director. For example, even last year there were only 461 children's playgrounds on the utility company's balance sheet, as evidenced by the answer of «Pilot» to the information request of NikVesti. That is, over the last year, the company took 571 sites on its balance sheet.

The condition of the playgrounds is different: some require complete dismantling, as their condition is dangerous for children to stay there, some are worn out and need renovation, and some have already been repaired by the company's employees.

Children's playground at 43 Raiduzhna Street, August 2024, photo NikVesti

These objects, for one reason or another, «did not receive their attention», says the director of the utility company «Pilot» Ihor Holovatyi.

«Many of these objects really need attention in the form of repair, replacement of elements. Often there are such things as the playground carries some kind of threat in the form of possible injuries to children, there are worn out or morally outdated structures. Again, you come, look and think: 21st century, it shouldn't be like that. Everyone's condition is different, there is a lot of work. But it cannot be enough. I mean, in a year and a half we actually accepted a thousand sites,» said Ihor Holovatyi.

For example, one of the sites that needs to be dismantled is located at General Almazov, 62 (formerly General Karpenko, — note). Currently, it is in a dilapidated state: some of the play structures are missing, their wooden elements have already rotted or broken, and the iron elements have become covered with rust. At the same time, iron pins are visible in the constructions of the playground, which are within direct reach of the child.

A neglected site at General Almazov, 62, August 2024, photo NikVesti

A neglected site at the address General Almazov, 62, August 2024, photo NikVesti

A neglected site at the address of General Almazov, 62, August 2024, photo NikVesti

A neglected site at the address General Almazov, 62, August 2024, photo NikVesti

A neglected site at the address General Almazov, 62, August 2024, photo NikVesti

A neglected site at the address General Almazov, 62, August 2024, photo NikVesti

A bench from which nails can be seen, which is located on the children's playground at the address of General Almazov, 62, August 2024, photo NikVesti

At the same time, the city also has restored playgrounds. For example, in May 2024, employees of the utility company «Pilot» repaired the emergency playground on Naberezhna Street in the center of Mykolaiv. Prior to this, the chief architect of the city Yevhen Poliakov drew attention to the condition of the playground. He turned to KP «DEZ «Pilot» so that they put it on the balance sheet and carry out repairs.

«Everyone drew attention to the fact that this playground (on Naberezhna Street, — note) is already becoming dilapidated, and before it completely collapsed, the administration of the Tsentralnyi District handed it over to us for balance and we repaired it. As for the warranty period, everything depends on how the citizens will use it,» said the director of the utility company Ihor Holovatyi.

Children's playground on Naberezhna Street in the center of Mykolaiv, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Children's playground on Naberezhna Street in the center of Mykolaiv, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Children's playground on Naberezhna Street in the center of Mykolaiv, August 2024, photo NikVesti

In general, «Pilot» primarily works with those playgrounds, the condition of which can harm a child, says company director Ihor Holovatyi. And then he processes applications from the «Contact Center at the Mykolaiv City Council» group on Facebook, he added.

«We have an account. First, it is the elimination of trauma, as soon as it became known. Next, by priority, it is probably work with the contact center. We are also trying to process these applications. We try to give at least approximately equal attention to each district. In general, we plan work for a month, and at the end — for the next,» shared Ihor Holovaty.

For example, in July 2024, Svitlana Oleinychenko, a resident of the Inhulskyi district, complained to the Contact Center at the Mykolaiv City Council group about the neglected state of the playground at 7 Svyrydova Street. According to her, children are injured due to the neglected area.

«The playground is in terrible condition. Children there fall every day, break their knees and elbows, and get bumps. Iron pins and fittings also stick out. I ask you to take measures, because it is dangerous to walk there,» she said.

A month later, employees of the utility company «Pilot» removed the elements of the playground that were traumatic for children.

Playground in the Factory district of Mykolaiv, August 2024, photo NikVesti

In general, all appeals from Mykolaiv residents in the «Contact Center at the Mykolaiv City Council» regarding the need to repair abandoned playgrounds are registered under the appropriate number, which allows you to track the status of application processing by communal services on the «Appeals Map» at the link.

However, not all residents of Mykolaiv support the idea of arranging children's playgrounds in the city. If you analyze some of the comments under the news related to the allocation of funds for children's playgrounds, some users of messengers criticize the city authorities for allocating funds for anything other than the needs of the Armed Forces. For example, under the publication of the relevant news in Telegram, they write: «A good children's playground makes for a soft landing even for a Shahed drone»; «Provide shells, drones, pickups to the military»; «There is a war in our country, what is the repair of playgrounds? All funds should be sent to the military to purchase weapons and equipment for Victory.» Such tendentious comments, in particular from anonymous users, can be found on any other publications where budget funds are spent on something other than the needs of the army.

Mykolaiv residents' comments under NikVesti's Telegram post, screenshot

Mykolaiv residents' comments under NikVesti's Telegram post, screenshot

19 million hryvnias were allocated for the maintenance of Mykolaiv playgrounds this year

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the communal enterprise «Pilot», which was supposed to be engaged exclusively in the repair of children's playgrounds, expanded the areas of its work. Today, the company is also engaged in maintaining a third of the points of dispensing purified water in the city — 90 purification stations, which is more than the utility company Mykolayivoblteploenergo, which serves 79 points. At the same time, «Pilot» workers are engaged in eliminating the consequences of enemy shelling and repairing retaining walls.

Children's playground on Naberezhna Street in the center of Mykolaiv, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Due to constant enemy shelling throughout 2022, the company did not repair playgrounds, says Ihor Holovatyi. At that time, 3 million 514 thousand 468 hryvnias were planned for their maintenance, but these works were not carried out, and the employees of the enterprise were engaged in liquidation of the consequences of hostilities.

The repair of the sites began already in 2023 — during the year, the company's employees repaired 92 such objects, says the director of «Pilot». 11.3 million hryvnias were spent on this from the city budget: 2.6 million hryvnias — for repair and painting of playgrounds, 6.7 million hryvnias — for wages of employees, 1.1 million hryvnias — for equipment and inventory.

Children's playground in Korabelnyi district, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Children's playground in Korabelnyi district, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Children's playground in Korabelnyi district, August 2024, photo NikVesti

For example, 35,000 hryvnias were spent on the repair of the playground at 13B Privilna Street, where a child fell with a broken swing, and another 66,500 hryvnias were spent on wages for employees. There, damaged elements were repaired, a new sandbox was installed, old boards were replaced and painted.

And 6.8 thousand hryvnias were spent on the repair of the children's playground at 36 Okeanivska Street, which was also written about by NikVesti, and another 31 thousand 200 hryvnias were spent on wages for employees. There, broken boards and fasteners were replaced, and elements were painted.

Children's playground at 43 Raiduzhna Street, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Since the beginning of 2024, the company has renovated 80 sites in Mykolaiv. By the end of the year, they plan to repair 40 more sites, Ihor Holovatyy, the director of the utility company «DEZ «Pilot», said. In total, almost 19 million hryvnias were allocated from the city budget for the repair of 120 playgrounds, he added.

«I hope that these funds will be enough for us by the end of the year. But, again, when we say «to the playgrounds», it also means our other improvements: repair of retaining walls, ongoing repair of paving slabs, and we mean any damage to paving slabs. Again, we are currently in the development stage: the number of tools and equipment is increasing. Not in the way, perhaps, as I, as the director of the enterprise, would like, but we are trying. Because, sorry, the twenty-first century. You can't do something on your knee, smear something and say that we repaired it, let alone restored it,» said Ihor Holovatyi.

Children's playground in Korabelnyi district, August 2024, photo NikVesti

«Pilot» independently makes parts of constructions for platforms

The mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, previously said that currently spending from the city budget on the repair of children's playgrounds is impractical, since all available funds are directed to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

«Every day, I receive dozens of similar appeals from people's deputies, to whom citizens turn, from ordinary citizens on Facebook, in Telegram channels with photos, some even mass media take photos of some sites and write news: «residents complain.» We know about it, moreover, we have projects that have been produced, project and estimate documentation, tenders have even been announced, but now there are no funds for this. Unfortunately, so far. Everything is up to the Armed Forces,» said Oleksandr Sienkovych.

Children's playground at 43 Raiduzhna Street, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Ihor Holovatyi, the director of the enterprise, also says that it is impractical to build new playgrounds during a full-scale invasion. After all, he added, these works require significant funds. Therefore, the company is currently engaged only in the maintenance and current repair of the sites.

«Again, the mayor has repeatedly emphasized that, as of today, when the war is going on in the country, it is probably not correct to talk about the construction of new gaming complexes, because these are very significant funds. It seems to be a game, but it is not a toy, if you translate it into funds. That is why we are not building new ones, but we are bringing the existing sites into order,» said Ihor Holovatyi.

Children's playground at 43 Raiduzhna Street, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Children's playground at 43 Raiduzhna Street, August 2024, photo NikVesti

For this purpose, the employees of the utility company «DEZ «Pilot» independently manufacture the elements of the structures of the children's playgrounds that need to be replaced, the director explained. These elements are made of both wood and iron.

«Now we can at least make parts of game elements. It is not that we make a swing ourselves, but it consists of many elements. And we can make many of these elements ourselves, we can restore them. It is, of course, cool to install a new one, but it is expensive. If it is possible to qualitatively restore some detail or part, then we do it,» said Ihor Holovatyi.

Employees of KP «DEZ «Pilot» manufacture elements of constructions of children's playgrounds, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Employees of KP «DEZ «Pilot» manufacture elements of constructions of children's playgrounds, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Employees of KP «DEZ «Pilot» manufacture elements of constructions of children's playgrounds, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Employees of KP «DEZ «Pilot» manufacture elements of constructions of children's playgrounds, August 2024, photo NikVesti

What should modern playgrounds be?

The requirements for what playgrounds should be are prescribed in the State Building Regulations of Ukraine (hereinafter — SBR). There is a separate section «Improvement of adjacent areas», one of the points of which tells what playgrounds should be like.

To begin with, according to the SBR, playgrounds should be built according to age interests. That is, it should be either separate playgrounds for children of different ages or complex playgrounds with separate age zones. As not all elements are safe and accessible for use by children of all ages, these areas should also be marked by age.

Children's playground on Naberezhna Street in the center of Mykolaiv, August 2024, photo NikVesti

For example, due to the lack of such a marking, in May 2023, a five-year-old boy fell from a height of 1.5 meters and broke his thigh on a playground in Lviv. At the time, it was not yet officially open, so age-restriction signs were only in the process of being made. They promised to set a limit of 8+ years to the main metal slide of the playground, where the child was injured.

All elements on playgrounds must comply with the State Standards of Ukraine and have quality certificates. They can be made of thermal wood, wood, plastic, metal, rubber. Bearing structures are made of corrosion-resistant steel. The pitches are installed on sand or a rubber surface.

Children's playground on Naberezhna Street in the center of Mykolaiv, August 2024, photo NikVesti

On playgrounds for the smallest children, sharp corners and edges are not allowed, it is necessary to think about protection against falls from a height, and all surfaces must be smooth and without slots, where, in particular, a finger can get stuck.

Playgrounds should be accessible to all children, including those with disabilities. Therefore, it is important to integrate elements for children with disabilities into the general play space.

Children's playground on Naberezhna Street in the center of Mykolaiv, August 2024, photo NikVesti

According to the SBR, the pitches must also have lighting — the corresponding equipment must be placed at a height of at least 2.5 meters. For example, at the moment, the utility company «DEZ «Pilot» has started to make lighting on those sites in Mykolaiv that need it, director Ihor Holovatyi reported.

«Fields should look modern, because the world does not stand still. Almost everything has changed. This coating is now normal materials: the area of the playground is filled and laid with special rubber plates. It is necessary to make the playgrounds non-traumatic. This applies not only to the floor, but also to the ergonomics of the elements themselves. When someone used to weld the steps for the slide, he checked that, for example, a child's head did not get in there or something. All this is being done now. Therefore, first of all, it should be the safety of children,» says the director of KP «Pilot» Ihor Holovatyi.

Children's playground on Naberezhna Street in the center of Mykolaiv, August 2024, photo NikVesti

What are the playgrounds in other cities of Ukraine?

In May 2024, a new playground was opened on the territory of one of the Kyiv public squares at the address: 1 Vadym Hetman Street. This playground was built according to a Finnish project within the framework of the «Joy of Play» initiative.

The site has play areas for children of different ages with various swings. But what makes it unique is the construction of the «Super Cube» — a giant tower with two huge slides and enough space for almost fifty children at the same time. Currently, this is the only similar play space in Ukraine with an exclusive design, made of natural wood.

A playground on the territory of one of the Kyiv public squares, photo: communal association Kyivzelenbud

Another modern playground was installed near new buildings in Uzhhorod. This social project was implemented back in 2020 by the developer company IDM Group, which was granted permission for the construction of the residential area here by the city council. On the site there are three large complexes, various swings, ropes and benches. The construction company also made lighting and installed trash cans. However, the photos of the playground show that there is no marking of age zones.

A field near new buildings in Uzhhorod, 2020, photo: Mayor of Uzhhorod Bohdan Andriiev

A field near new buildings in Uzhhorod, 2020, photo: Mayor of Uzhhorod Bohdan Andriiev

A field near new buildings in Uzhhorod, 2020, photo: Mayor of Uzhhorod Bohdan Andriiev

This year, a new playground also appeared in Mykhailo Chekman park in Khmelnytskyi. It was made based on a sketch developed in 2018 by the fallen soldier Andrii Chernitskyi.

In the center of the playground is a structure in the form of a spider with several slides of different heights for children of different ages. However, it can be seen from the photographs that there is no appropriate age marking of these slides.

It is worth noting that as examples we looked for positive examples of playgrounds in different cities of Ukraine that would meet modern standards. Mostly, such playgrounds appear thanks to international partners or investors who work on the projects of their creation and finance the works.

Children's playground in the Korabelnyi district, August 2024, photo by NikVesti

In general, during the full-scale invasion, other Ukrainian cities purchase and install new playgrounds, as evidenced by data from the public procurement system ProZorro. For example, in Kyiv, they are going to buy new equipment for a children's playground for 340 thousand hryvnias: four swings on chains, five balancer swings, two hanging stork nests, four spring swings, four benches, four basketball nets, a net for mini-football and four punching bags.

Children's playground in the Korabelnyi district, August 2024, photo by NikVesti

For another 300,000 hryvnias, the Spanish Village Council in the Rivne region is going to purchase elements for a children's playground. In Dnipro, they are going to build an inclusive playground for 200,000 hryvnias. And in the city of Tarashcha in the Kyiv region, an inclusive playground for children is planned to be installed for 187 thousand hryvnias.

One of the most expensive playgrounds according to tenders is planned to be built in the village of Chudei, Chernivtsi region — for 1.2 million hryvnias. They plan to make a rubber coating there, install five standard double swings, six balancers for two, a swing for four, six children's play complexes for children of different age groups.

A cat resting on the playground at 43 Raiduzhna Street, August 2024, photo NikVesti

Today, Mykolaiv's children's infrastructure needs updating: most playgrounds need to be dismantled or overhauled. One of the proofs of this is the regular posts of Mykolaiv residents in the Facebook group «Contact Center at the Mykolaiv City Council» about their poor condition. However, the repair of playgrounds, which the city government has not paid attention to for years, requires significant funds, which are currently not available in the city budget for these needs. Currently, the communal enterprise «Pilot» responsible for the repair of the sites restores the sites within the framework of ongoing repairs or only replaces some emergency elements. Therefore, it will probably be possible to return to the issue of creating a new and high-quality children's infrastructure only after the completion of a full-scale invasion.

Yuliia Boichenko, NikVesti

We created this material as a member of the Recovery Window Network. Find out everything about the restoration of the affected regions of Ukraine on the single recovery.win platform.