The newly-opened Clair Lake Playground in Waterloo is a shining monument to neighbourhood volunteers but an open question for city hall.

There can be no doubt that a standing ovation is owed to the community associations and ordinary citizens whose efforts culminated in the facility's official opening on Saturday.

They saw a need for an outdoor play facility in the Clair Lake area of Waterloo near Keats Way and Fischer-Hallman Road.

They banded together, planned, raised money and made the playground happen. Cheers to them all.

But is this the future in Waterloo?

Is this how the city will open new playgrounds - with the bulk of the cash coming from neighbourhood associations and private citizens instead of the city treasury?

We thought parks and recreation were the responsibility of the people citizens pay, not the citizens themselves.

In all likelihood, the neighbourhood groups who helped build this playground are perfectly happy with how events played out. And who can blame them?

They knew their ward had a low concentration of playgrounds compared to other city wards. They wanted a place for children to play.

Rather than simply email their demands to city hall, the neighbourhood residents made the city an offer it couldn't refuse.

After three years of hard work, the citizens came up with $65,000 in cash and in-kind donations from families, individuals and local businesses, including vital contributions of labour and materials.

As for the city - it provided public land for the project, $10,000 and a promise to always maintain the property.

At first glance, this looks like what politicians love to call a "win-win" deal.

The residents get what they want for their children and grandchildren.

As a bonus, they've built a stronger community where citizens know each other better, ally themselves in a common cause and get results.

As for the city, it gets a public facility while paying just a fraction of the cost.

Who couldn't love all this?

Well, without detracting from the citizens' achievement, we have some concerns.

If this kind of arrangement becomes common in Waterloo, it could lead to a two-tiered city.

Residents of affluent neighbourhoods could win some of the recreational services they want by footing a significant portion of the bill.

In contrast, residents of less-affluent neighbourhoods who can't afford the services would do without - or wait years for the city to deliver.

It's not just money, either. Connections and know-how can also separate neighbourhoods.

One of the volunteers who garnered support for the Clair Lake Playground had experience as a professional fundraiser. What's the likelihood of someone with similar credentials living in a poorer neighbourhood where many residents work for minimum wage or are unemployed?

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Of course, if the Clair Lake model takes off, it's also possible the city could devote more money and resources to lower income neighbourhoods and let people in more affluent areas do more for themselves.

All this is food for thought as Waterloo rightly celebrates its new playground.

But as the youngsters enjoy themselves, the adults need to start a public discussion.