FRIDAYAPRIL17
P3
CITY:
Not all happy with WIDC park proposal
www.pgfreepress.com | newsline: 250.564.0005
Pastor calls on
city to clean up park debris Teresa Mallam arts@pgfreepress.com Peter Stenson, a retired pastor, is still taking care of his flock. He is concerned for the safety and well-being of children in his La Salle Avenue neighbourhood off Queensway. At issue is piles of cut-down timber that Stenson says creates a potential danger zone for children who play in the Jasper Park area. He wants to see the trees – and the hazard – removed. “Last year, the trees were cut down by the City of Prince George 50 feet from a playground and it left a big mess,” he said. “There are piles of trees and broken branches just lying there. I think it’s a safety and protection issue. If a child ever falls down they could get seriously hurt. The branches are sharp and they could impale themselves.” As well, with the warmer weather coming, the timber will dry out and be a fire hazard, he noted. There are no signs warning of any danger that may be present and the area (with a community centre and day care) is not cordoned off with tape or markers. Despite his complaints made to the City, Stenson says he sees no resolution in sight. “[Then city manager] Beth James came out to have a look at it last year,” said Stenson. “After she left, I didn’t hear anything more and nothing’s been done. If they could just get city workers to buck up the fallen trees, I am sure people in the neighbourhood would gladly gather it up and use it for firewood.” Parks supervisor Sean LeBrun responded Tuesday that he had asked staff to advise him of any updates but said he was aware that last year when two city representatives, James and the City’s director of operations Bill Gaal, went to check it out, they had determined the felled trees were “not a hazard.” That has not changed, he said. “The trees are lying inside the park, inside the green belt – there’s no danger there that I can see.” As for Stenson’s suggestion the wood could be bucked up and used for heat, LeBrun said the city does cut up trees and leave it for residents – but in this case, that might not be a good solution. “We generally stack them up at the curb and it is picked up almost immediately and that saves us from having to pack it up and haul it away, so that works for everyone. I wouldn’t want to see people driving up to the [Jasper Park] site in their pickups
though because that could create another hazard.” That is unlikely, says Stenson, because the old South Fort George Elementary school (now the community centre) had put up blocks and barricades to prevent that from happening. Still, his safety concerns remain. “I was out walking my dog in Jasper Park when I first noticed the trees were down and some of them were piled up right by the swings where children were playing. I thought it looked dangerous so I called the City and they came out and removed them. I waited a week, thinking they would come by to take away the other, larger piles, but they never did.” The area is a magnet for children wanting to play and explore, he said. Indeed when the reporter visited the site Friday, there were two small wool mittens of different colours indicating that one or more children had likely been there. Now the snow is gone, it may be even more tempting for adventurous youngsters, says Stenson. In the meantime, LeBrun reported back to the Free Press what he’d been told by staff on Tuesday. “According to my foreman, the initial report came from our parks staff, the neighbourhood crews that go around from neighbourhood park to neighbourhood park who had noticed a tree that looked kind of ominous,” said LeBrun. “So it was investigated by the arborist foreman and determined that yes, it was a danger and needed to come down. But while he was there he noticed some other trees that (while staff was there) would be a good idea to remove.” They took down a few trees, perhaps three or four, he said. “Anything that was brought down close to the playground was removed. Anything that fell down into the bush or the green belt was left.” LeBrun said Stenson was advised of City staff ’s findings. “He was told the trees would not be removed and that they were not a hazard.” This week Stenson contacted councillor Brian Skakun (the two have known each other for 25 years) who he said has agreed to go out this week and see what he thinks of the situation. “All my neighbours who have been over to the area are just appalled about the situation and they want to see the mess cleaned up. It is unsightly. And like me, they don’t want children who play around there getting hurt.”
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Teresa MALLAM/Free Press Former pastor Peter Stenson points to playground equipment 50 feet from where downed trees are piled precariously. In the foreground there are two small gloves indicating that children do indeed play in the vicinity of the fallen logs and debris.
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