GUEST POSTING from PARK CARETAKER COLIN STARK

Oldtown News
Vancouver, BC

GUEST POSTING from PARK CARETAKER COLIN STARK

I attended this meeting and was first on the speakers' list followed by JL Hamilton, activist; Kate Perkins, Trout Lake CC; and Paul Faoro, CUPE 15. Clearly many speakers cancelled after the Tuesday Council meeting added $200,000 back in to the washroom budget, and $100,000 to the sports field budget. My brief speech is appended. The atmosphere at the meeting was surprisingly collegial compared to my past experience of perhaps 10 years ago when Roslyn Cassels was the sole non-NPA Commissioner. I was asked several questions: Qu: How many women caretakers live alone and are they safe? Ans: Several, and they need to take precautions, but are just as effective as men; Qu: What do caretakers do? Ans: [Many things short of rocket science] ..., but critically "maintain a presence in the park, especially with regard to predators, one of which breed lingered in MY Ladies washroom just this past Monday evening, resulting in a 911 call. in general I felt that I received an appreciative hearing. Qu:Would I be willing to expand on my comments at a Committee Meeting? Ans:Gladly Chair Jasper called for a staff report into the status of Caretakers. Hopefully this will lead to a sincere realignment of staff's biases, and is NOT just another empty promise. There were considerable grumblings that City Hall was dictating priorities to the Board and its staff -- like what else is new? It has just happened more blatantly recently! The only other Agenda item was to approve an $800,000 Fieldhouse at Trillium Park (with showers and washrooms but no Caretaker accommodation). Trillium is a new park with several soccer fields only 4 blocks west of Strathcona Park fieldhouse, where the Caretaker accommodation has lain empty for many years, although miraculously it appears to have so far escaped the vandalism which occurred at Grandview, Pandora, and Slocan, resulting in many hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs. My opinion was not asked, so in keeping with the status of a humble visitor, I did not offer it. Overall I am hopeful that some form of meeting with Caretakers will be held sometime in 2011. But I am not holding my breath!

Colin