Deerpath Skate Park – Community parks should be a safe and healthy place for the children of Guelph to play.

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PLEASE read this newpaper article.

http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/495932 (click on link)

The newspaper article is no exaggeration.

Since 1998 we have loved living by our busy and well used community park. I enjoyed looking out my kitchen window, seeing and hearing up to 30 kids of all ages and backgrounds playing on the play equipment and in the park.

Since the fall of 2008 we have been living with inappropriate and illegal behaviour on a ongoing basis both during daylight and after dark hours since the start of the installation of last year. We have been woken up at all hours as a result of partiers in the site and leaving the site.

Designed as a Beginner Skate Park the City Park Planners had hoped to avoid some of the issues encountered in other cities skate facilities.

A number of Rules Signs are posted and have been replaced after being removed, one found tossed into a neighbours back yard.
No inappropriate language
No illegal activity
No graffiti
Recommends wearing safety equipment
Use at your own risk
Hours Dawn to Dusk

The small children’s area is located directly beside the skate area and the homes are well within earshot of the frequent yelling and swearing emanating from the skate park. Broken glass in often picked out of the sand before small children can safely play there.

Underage smoking is constant and pot is regularly consumed both during daylight and after dark hours. Drinking, vandalism, litter, public urination, noise pollution, an increase in cars broken into and park arson have all occurred.

As a parent of a preteen and teenager I have concerns about the influence of constant availability and use of illegal drugs and other behaviour in this newly created hangout.
There are often more kids without skateboards hanging out than with.

Parents are suppose to be responsible for their children and their actions. However, I am intimidated to even walk by these large groups of kids. Some friends of my children are no longer allowed to come and play or walk through at this park because of what it has become. There is not many preteens or teenage children who would allow their parents to accompany them and supervise on this site. This is the last place in the world I want my children to be.

This is what our community park has become.

Increased Bylaw and Police presence has occurred but not eliminated the constant problems caused by putting this Skate Park in the wrong place. The Skate Park can and should be should be moved to a place where it can be used and supervised at all times, so that the rules and hours posted by the city and the laws of our land, can be enforced, eliminating the negative influence that it has on the many children in Guelph that come here to skateboard as well as the neighbourhood children playing on the play equipment.

A place like the West End Recreation Center would be a perfect setting to place, supervise, maintain hours of use and give good access to the kids who want to use the skate board facility. I do know however that the people who work there do not want it or the problems associated with it either.

If you agree and would not want your children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews exposed to this newly created environment at Deerpath Park please respond to this situation.

I really need your help, for the impression I get is that the City views the handful of neighbour complaints as just that, a few concerned citizens.

I would like this skate park moved to a facility where the kids who want to come and use it safely can without the constant negative influences that come along with unsupervised skate park facility.
AD

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I am writing to support the residents surrounding the Deerpath Skatepark. I have had the opportunity to visit this neighbourhood frequently over the past 8 years, and I must say that the atmosphere has changed greatly since the skate park was established. I have two small children who I will not allow to play in the playground anymore. I have found broken glass, beer cans, and grafitti, which didn’t seem to be a problem before the skate park came along. The language and acitivites occuring at the park are disturbing and concern me greatly. This facility needs to be in an area where it is more easily monitored (such as the West End Rec. Center) and it does not impact the immediate residents of the area to such a detrimental effect. We actually passed a similar skate park in Keswick/Sutton area on the weekend and we commented on how it was in a perfect location to prevent the type of problems being experienced by the Deerpath residents – it was in front of a public building, in view of the road and the public in general, and away from a residential area. Perhaps some research into their experiences with the location of their skatepark is warrented.

Please try to put yourselves in the shoes of these residents. It is horrible to visit the neighbourhood and see/hear what they have to put up with. It is truly unacceptable. CF

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Filed under Having fun, Youth