By meadowlakeNOW

Lions Park maintenance concerns spark discussions at city council

Jul 28, 2017 | 6:40 PM

The service group with their name attached to one of Meadow Lake’s parks is concerned with how the city is maintaining it.

At the Monday, July 24 meeting of city council, Mayor Gary Vidal and council reviewed correspondence from the Meadow Lake Lions Club. The letter, penned by club secretary Robert Nordby, cited many concerns, including the length of grass, the cleanliness of public washrooms, lighting updates, and debris. 

“This year [the Lion’s Club has] had several members of the public ask why the Lions don’t maintain this beautiful park better,” Nordby said in the letter. “While attending our year-end barbecue at the campground we heard troubling reports directly from campers at the site. Several campers have moved out due the filthy conditions of the washrooms.”

The letter also said club members themselves cleaned up the park along and replaced damaged parts of the Frisbee golf course. Nordby added members took damaged trees and branches out of the park.

“As a Lions Club, we are doing our fair share financially and physically to maintain and improve the park,” Nordby said in the letter. “It is our understanding that thecCity agreed to maintain the park and we feel that you are not fulfilling your obligation to do so. We would like to see appropriate measures taken to address these concerns.”

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City manager Diana Burton responded to the group with a letter explaining some of the delays with service. For instance, the length of the grass at the park was attributed to the wet weather the region experienced coupled with a staff shortage earlier in the season.

“There have been many areas in the park with standing water that the mower could not access,” she said in her response. We also experienced a staff shortage during the month of May and decided to prioritize the more frequently used areas such as the ball diamonds and football fields. Now that we have had a few weeks of drier weather the grass schedule should be back on track.”

Burton’s letter also mentions concerns about bathroom cleanliness were passed on to the parks department, and the city has hired a different contract to complete the lighting project.

“We appreciate the work the Lions contribute to this park and hope to continue working with you to improve this beautiful feature in our community,” she said. “Thank you for making us aware of your concerns and of the ways we can do better with our facilities.”

As a part of the general discussion about the letter, Coun. Glen Winkler concurred with the Lions on the topic.  

“I’ve been at Lion’s Park for 27 years,” he said. “It’s been a major problem, the upkeep.”

Council unanimously agreed, after a motion brought forward from Winkler, that city administration would do a consultative assessment of Lion’s Park. The process will collect information from various groups that use the park – including the Lions Club – and will culminate in a set of standardized guidelines for maintenance, while also being cognisant of the efficient use of city resources.

kathy.gallant@jpbg.ca  

On Twitter @ReporterKath