Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
Those of us who live in close proximity to the children’s play park, “Peter Cameron Park” in Leith, have learned to make do with what we have. Much of the equipment in the park requires maintenance. The swings are very old and unless we oil them ourselves they can be heard squeaking throughout the community. The Japanese Knotweed at the corner of the park has grown out so far into Market Lane that it causes a visibility hazard for motorists driving around the park. Last winter during one of those storms, the backboard on one of the basketball hoops broke and fell down in the snow. Both backboards are worn out. Other safety hazards and signs of neglect are obvious.
The park equipment suffers from neglect, but not because we don’t care about it. Numerous calls have been made to the Meaford Rec Department asking for maintenance and raising safety concerns, all to no avail. Despite its shortcomings, we love our little park and it continues to be heavily used on a daily basis, both by local residents and by visitors to our community.
Therefore, it was with great consternation last week that we observed municipal workers installing a brand new sign for Peter Cameron Park. There was nothing wrong with the old sign. It clearly named the park. It was not falling down. It did not pose a safety hazard. The only difference between the old sign and the new sign was the word “Meaford”.
So now, after all our calls and all our efforts to get some maintenance done to improve the safety and functionality of the park equipment, we have a new sign that also says “Meaford”. Who knows how much it cost for labour, materials, and the heavy equipment used for installation? I canvassed the adjoining property owners. No one here requested a new sign for the park.
The point is that for the current decision-makers, it was more important to spend the money to place the word “Meaford” on a sign in the middle of Leith, than it was to address any of the ongoing health, safety and functionality concerns which have been raised by numerous taxpayers on numerous occasions. Little wonder we are so divided!
Fortunately the old sign was saved. There is still nothing wrong with it, except that it merely names the park and does not also say “Meaford”. We can only hope that new candidates for council in the upcoming election will be prepared to take a much stronger leadership role, as it is sorely needed to avoid such idiocy.
Liz Robinson, Leith
