In her shaking hands, Cathy Ferrera pushed a photograph of a grinning 2-year-old in front of her for the Columbia Association Board to see.
“This is what I lost. Do you see what I lost?”
“I lost him because of your beautiful playground. Your lake is dangerous, deceiving.”
Ferrera tearfully pleaded with the association to install a fence around the playground her son, Alex, wandered away from on Sept. 2, 2005.
He drowned in nearby Lake Elkhorn on Cradlerock Way in Columbia while in the care of a day-care provider.
A group of parents have pushed for eight months for a fence, and the board announced Thursday that it is considering installing a fence or shrubs around the tot lot.
“You explain to him. You explain to me and my family. Do something about your playground and your lake,” Ferrera said.
Board Member Patrick von Schlag made a motion to install a fence around the playground. Some board members agreed, while others preferred shrubs because they would not harm the aesthetics of the wooded area.
“A fence would reduce the convenience, and it would reduce the usage. Part of the reason to make a playground out in the woods is so you can see the woods,” said Board Member Phil Marcus.
“I know you have aesthetic concerns,” said Richard Lichenstein, President of the Maryland chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a group that has been advocating for the fence.
“To me, the aesthetics of a living child can?t be overshadowed by anything else.”
Fence vote
The Columbia Association will consider proposals for a fence at the next two board meetings, both beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the association headquarters on Wincopin Circle in Columbia. On May 25, the board can propose amendments; on June 8, a vote is expected.
