Houghton Valley Playcentre – Fort Reconstruction
After a long wait, the fort at Houghton Valley is finally back in action and is being thoroughly enjoyed by tamariki at the centre!
The wobbly bridge (that needed to be removed) has been replaced with a slatted wooden tunnel so tamariki can now access both sections of the fort and the slide. Both sections of the fort have had a roof structure added to prevent children from climbing over the rails. This enables the fort to be used in most weather conditions as well. In addition, soft fall protection has been added to the existing deck which allows the monkey bars to be fully used without the risk of falling onto hard surfaces. The colourful design by Childspace Design has been brought to life by builders Minter Webber, who worked throughout the last holidays to enable the fort to be used at the beginning of this term.
Many thanks to the Grants team who secured a grant of $10,000 from the Lion Foundation which went a long way to enabling this project to proceed.
Aria Playcentre – New Fence
Aria Playcentre has been working toward replacing its old chainlink boundary fence for over 13 years. Despite the long timeframe, past and present committee members kept pushing the project with multiple fundraising events, battling with ever increasing costs. With the assistance of funding from the Ministry of Education this finally became a reality with completion over the September school holidays. Surrounded on 3 sides by Aria school which uses the centre playground and to access its sports fields, this was a more complex fence requiring sliding gates, wide pedestrian gates, a vehicle gate, as well as 3 other pedestrian gates! The new solution, built by Hamilton Fencing using Urban Group’s Assure fencing panel, was able to provide a fence that met the centre and school’s needs with a fence and gating solution that met Playcentre’s ECE requirements.
Swings and Things – Best Nest Swing
A Playcentre recently had an issue with their Best Nest Swing (purchased from Swings and Things) where the swing material was splitting. While the cost of repair / replacement was being looked at the centre Kaimahi phoned the company who said they have found that the stitching on these swings has been done with cheaper thread that hasn’t lasted well in the NZ sun. They have added the Playcentre to their work list and will send them a replacement. The company has a machinist that will go over the stitching to re-enforce it.
If any other Playcentres have purchased this swing from Swings and Things within the last 2 years and are experiencing similar issues (splitting) please let the Property Team know and we can enquire with the company if it would qualify for a free repair. Photos and a copy of the invoice would be required (we may have the latter on file already).
Insurance
Please contact [email protected] immediately if you have any insurance related issues, such as vandalism, theft or damage to property so they can start the insurance process. You will be asked to complete an insurance claim form (which admin will provide). Please include lots of photos and a Police Report if applicable. If the damage/fault needs to be fixed urgently, then a contractor is able to ‘make safe’ your Playcentre immediately and the paperwork can follow.
Our insurance policy does not cover the cost of the cause of the damage but may cover the damage resulting from that cause. For example, a dishwasher has a burst pipe: the cost of the plumber to repair the pipe will not be covered, but any damage caused to kitchen cabinetry, floors and walls etc. resulting from the leak/flooding may be covered. The drying out costs and excess power usage are also covered in the claim so please keep ALL invoices relating to a claim.
Playcentre Aotearoa has an insurance excess of $5,000. The first $5,000 is classed as an internal claim, with claims over this amount being referred to our insurance broker where an assessor will likely be assigned to the claim and may visit the centre.
Centre Hires
Playcentre has been trialling an online booking system designed to handle one-off centre hires to simplify the user experience and streamline operations. The feedback and experiences of users so far have been very positive, so we are keen to see more centres adopting the system.
We’ve also seen a number of feature requests for various options (e.g. different hire durations, optional cleaning fee etc). Once we get through the activations, we will collate the requests and begin implementing solutions for those as well.
Many of you have already put through your request, and our IT Team are working through the backlog to set you all up. Thank you for your patience! Please complete the Centre Hire – Activation Form to register your interest.
Reminder: Timely Departure for Scheduled Contractor Work
If you have contractors scheduled to complete work, please ensure you leave the premises on time. Contractors are unable to begin their tasks until all members have vacated the space. Your cooperation helps avoid delays and ensures work can be completed as scheduled. Thank you!
Building Check
If you notice any recent damage to the exterior of your building, in the first instance please notify [email protected]. Please include images and details of the damage.
Property FAQ
FAQ are available here – Property FAQ’s | Playcentre/. These are updated as new questions are asked.
If you have had situations at your centre that you think other centres may appreciate knowing, please let us know at [email protected] and we can arrange for them to be added to the FAQ page of the Playcentre website.
Contacting the Property Team
For urgent maintenance or to report damage please contact [email protected] or phone 03 260 7787.
Please include your centre name in the subject line of your email.