To Whom It May Concern

On February 28, 2025, a tragic incident occurred at Oak Grove City Park, Chesapeake, VA, where a 3-year-old child drowned. The park is widely used, in part due to its beautiful playground where children love to play. However, the playground is not fenced, and it is located near a large body of water.

It only takes a split second for a child to run off and end up in danger, as happened today. While it's easy to assign blame, distractions can happen to anyone—even something as simple as tying your sneakers. A fence could have prevented this heartbreaking event by keeping the child from wandering off.

In the Chesapeake mom group on Facebook, many parents have shared their own close calls due to the lack of fencing at this playground, which is perilously close to deep water. Additionally, an unfenced playground makes it easier for a child to be abducted, as there are multiple entry and exit points.

For these reasons and many others related to safety, I urge that all city-owned playgrounds be fenced. This is not an uncommon practice; in New York City, all playgrounds are gated for safety. I believe Virginia should adopt the same standard, not just for this playground but for all playgrounds. If this is not possible, I request that playgrounds near water and/or roadways be fenced.

Virginia requires all residential private pools to be fenced, regardless of whether children live at the property. Playgrounds near water should also be fenced for the same reasons that pools must be fenced.

If this measure helps save even one child's life, it is worth the effort. No parent should ever have to endure the pain of losing a child, especially in such a preventable manner.

Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this important matter.