Hey everyone,
We just got back from the Parks Board meeting regarding China Creek. Both
sides presented arguments for and against for about 3 hours. (Howard
Redekopp, Jeff Chan, Calen Sinclaire, Derek DeLand, Doug Donut, Dan
Cummer, Jay Pay, a couple of neighbours in favour, including Cate
Atkinson, and me, Kim Glennie, spoke to save the bowls, several neighbours
spoke against keeping them.) Mark Vuillamy recommended preserving China
Creek, Michel DesRochers did not speak out against them, just presented
options 1 and 3.
I'll cut to the chase with the good news - the commissioners present are
recommending Option 1 - that is keeping the skatepark! Korina Houghton,
Loretta Woodcock and Spencer Herbert were all in favour of keeping the
bowls. It will go to vote in the beginning of next year, no other
commissioners were present, but Al DeGenova has already voiced his
support, so that means we have a majority!
At the end, and to summarize, the commissioners commended the VSPC on
their positive action and organization, while recognizing that some of the
concerns residents have are real and need to be addressed. The Parks Board
did not agree that removing the bowls would keep the 'bad' element out of
the park; in fact they thought the opposite was true. The Parks Board felt
that all wooden ramps need to be removed, as well as possibly the rail, to
limit noise issues, and to also make the park look cleaner. Korina
Houghton also acknowledged the historic value of the bowls, she really
seemed in favour of some sort of plaque, Loretta Woodcock said we all seem
like a great community with lots of history, and Spencer Herbert said the
skatepark was far more likely to scare away negative activity than attract
it.
Also, the commissioners suggested we all need to work together - that is -
meet with residents sometime in future - and cooperate on how this can
work for everyone. I suggested doing skateboard mentorship or lessons,
through a shop or community centre, and after the meeting, I spoke with
several of the complainants, offered my email address, and said I would
bring up their concerns and possible solutions at the meeting tomorrow.
The Parks Board MAY organize a meeting so we can all get together sometime
also. The woman I spoke longest to, Barb, was the Cedar House community
policing rep, and really wanted the skatepark gone. I tried to make some
suggestions, and she seemed amenable to some of them. They also would like
to be invited to the next event, which would be a great way of helping
them be less intimidated by us skaters. Anyhow, they are open to
discussion with us, in varying degrees, because, really - we all want the
same thing - a great park for everyone. With an amazing skate facility as
well!
So thanks to everyone who took the time to write an email, come out to the
event, show up for any or all of the meetings - it seems like our hard
work has paid off.
See ya tomorrow at the meeting,
Kim and Derek
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