What a Shame to see earth-moving equipment arrive at Kits Beach Park this morning and with it the message from the Vancouver Parks Board, that our concerns for safety and enjoyment of children have been ignored.
Again this last weekend the park was full of children enjoying themselves at both the playground and the basketball courts. A soggy volleyball tournament was underway and a few groups of basketball players were on the courts, happily sharing them with kids on bikes. Children watched the volleyball and basketball players and parents appreciated hearing their children expressing they wanted to grow up to play those sports. Parents were happy for this location, surrounded by open space and athletics, and no one would believe they would be better off closer to a large concrete building, proximity to wash-rooms and a concession or not.
Green Space to be lost with new playground
Meanwhile, the relative quiet of the weekend highlighted the noise of the trucks at the Boathouse restaurant and the constant noise of the building’s mechanics, the kitchen fan providing an unwanted white noise in the area of the new playground, and cars continued to plow through the adjacent intersection, many completely oblivious to the presence of a stop sign.
It was encouraging to see many of you voice your concerns regarding the proposed new location and with them viewpoints which Park Board Staff appeared to have been discouraging when they slid this proposal under the radar with the misleading notices sent to neighbours and posted at the current playground. It is disappointing to see an excavator unloaded at the Park today, and with it our voices ignored. With all of your communications and the quite evidently valid arguments in favour of the safety and access of the current location, and the failures of the consultation process, we had hoped that Commissioners would step in to correct the errors made by Parks Board staff.
Instead a great many parents will be disappointed to lose a playground with so many charms and alarmed to find a playground in a location so unsuitable for children. Parents of special needs children will be left wondering where their safe access to the playground is supposed to be as this was, after all, a playground supposed to meet their needs.
