oom only at town council chambers last Tuesday, as residents of a section of southeast Slave Lake showed up in force to try to convince council to save a couple of neighbourhood playgrounds.
Many had only found out recently about the town’s plan – adopted in 2005 – to close and sell off the ‘tot lots’ and use the money to develope fewer, better-equipped ‘quadrant parks.’ Once they did find out about the plan to close the Kinette park and Maple Crescent park in the southeast, they mobilized quickly.
Their spokesperson was Byron Kashuba. He told council he had surveyed all 143 homes in the area between 6th Ave. S.E. and the railway tracks, receiving 133 responses. Ninety-three per cent of respondents were in favour of keeping the tot lots, he said. He also outlined some of the history of the parks, noting that the community played a big part in their establishment.
The conclusion, Kashuba said, was that “both parks should stay open for the sole reason that they were built for and by the community.”
Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee praised Kashuba’s effort and results.
“I’m very impressed by the work you’ve done,” she said.
Councillor Rob Irwin, noting that it would cost $50,000 to upgrade each park (equaling a one per cent tax hike for residents) asked Kashuba if he had “any other ideas.”
Kashuba answered that he figured the two lots could be brought up to standard for the price of one.
Councillor Valerie Tradewell asked Kashuba what he thinks of the quadrant parks. He said most parents won’t let their kids go to either Schurter Park or Hilda Eben Park. In the case of the latter, he said, the atmosphere is not friendly or safe. The little parks in the neighbourhood are friendly and safe, he said.“Would the neighbourhood be willing to pay for those parks?” asked the mayor.
“We built it the first time,” said Kashuba.
In further discussions on the matter, council heard that it had budgeted about $120,000 from the sale of those two parks, with the money earmarked for quadrant park development. If they weren’t sold, the town would have to either dip into a reserve account or downscale planned development.
Councillors Tradewell and Rob Chalmers spoke up in favour of keeping one of the two parks in question open. Councillor Ed Procyshyn favoured keeping them both open.
“If we have to wait a year for the project in the southwest and find some money to fix up these parks I think we should do it,” he said.
Council passed a motion directing administration to work with the neighbourhood group to come up with a plan to keep one or both parks open.

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