Last week the issue of the park closing time for LAKEVIEW PARK seemed to me to suddenly heat up as the weather cooled. I only became aware of resident's concerns about the park hours on social media mid week and on Thursday many emails began coming in from Oshawa residents asking Council members for an extension of Lakeview Park hours.
It seems City Park hours have been the same since 2006. Here is a link from the Report 15 years ago when the Park By-law was changed at Operations Services (OS) Committee July 11, 2006 and approved by Oshawa Council July 13, 2006. http://app.oshawa.ca/.../OS-06-171_Parks_By-law_83-2000...
Prior to Report OS-06-171 the closing time was midnight. See wording on page 5 that the Park By-law was amended in 2006 by:
deleting the words, ”from 12:00 o’clock midnight to 6:00 o'clock in the morning"
and inserting therefore the following:
“during the following hours:
(a) from 10 p.m. of each day to 6 p.m. of the following day during the period April 1 to October 31 in each year; and
(b) from 6 p.m. of each day to 6 a.m. the following day during the period November 1 of each year to March 31 of the following year.”
Four current Oshawa Council members were at the City back then: John Gray, Tito Dante Marimpietri, John Neal and Brian Nicholson.
It would be interesting to hear from them what precipitated the change to the earlier winter 6 pm Park closing.
Some residents who wrote Council on this issue and who I've talked with, said the 6 p.m. Park closing at Lakeview Park was never rigorously enforced until recently. It seems with the City's new corporate security contractor residents complain they encountered overzealous and aggressive enforcement, which prompts them to ask why the early close time when many other municipalities have longer or even 24 hour open hours.
Note the Oshawa Park By-law allows extended hours for the parks with buildings and club houses identified in Schedule A.
I know this particular Park issue is not just a Ward 5 issue as all Oshawans know and are proud of Lakeview Park.
As I said above and wrote when asked on social media this weekend:
1. It would be good to know why in 2006 Council changed the City Park closing hours from midnight to 6 p.m., especially considering that Oshawa's current tent cities, litter and opioid problems and disturbance issues were likely to have been less prevalent back then.
2. I personally don't have any issue with a change to the time. But imo before a final decision, it would be prudent to have more details as to what could be the increased costs related to longer hours risks, and potential extra costs with the City's insurance provider, waste management service department, and what, if any, would be the concerns of the JUBILEE, HOPA and DRPS with an 11pm, midnight or 24 hours-open time.
3. Also what number of warnings and/or fines if any fines have been issued to date since the official 6:00 pm close time came into effect 3 weeks ago since it might give some indication of the Park's after 6 pm. usage.
4. What is best, a blanket change to include all Parks and trails, or a one-off exemption for Lakeview Park
5. The City is Planning to install new Park signs, see two examples below which the City reviewed with the Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee last month. Hopefully any order to the sign supplier can be placed on hold so that the new signs will be current with any Park By-law changes!
It seems City Park hours have been the same since 2006. Here is a link from the Report 15 years ago when the Park By-law was changed at Operations Services (OS) Committee July 11, 2006 and approved by Oshawa Council July 13, 2006. http://app.oshawa.ca/.../OS-06-171_Parks_By-law_83-2000...
Prior to Report OS-06-171 the closing time was midnight. See wording on page 5 that the Park By-law was amended in 2006 by:
deleting the words, ”from 12:00 o’clock midnight to 6:00 o'clock in the morning"
and inserting therefore the following:
“during the following hours:
(a) from 10 p.m. of each day to 6 p.m. of the following day during the period April 1 to October 31 in each year; and
(b) from 6 p.m. of each day to 6 a.m. the following day during the period November 1 of each year to March 31 of the following year.”
Four current Oshawa Council members were at the City back then: John Gray, Tito Dante Marimpietri, John Neal and Brian Nicholson.
It would be interesting to hear from them what precipitated the change to the earlier winter 6 pm Park closing.
Some residents who wrote Council on this issue and who I've talked with, said the 6 p.m. Park closing at Lakeview Park was never rigorously enforced until recently. It seems with the City's new corporate security contractor residents complain they encountered overzealous and aggressive enforcement, which prompts them to ask why the early close time when many other municipalities have longer or even 24 hour open hours.
Note the Oshawa Park By-law allows extended hours for the parks with buildings and club houses identified in Schedule A.
I know this particular Park issue is not just a Ward 5 issue as all Oshawans know and are proud of Lakeview Park.
As I said above and wrote when asked on social media this weekend:
1. It would be good to know why in 2006 Council changed the City Park closing hours from midnight to 6 p.m., especially considering that Oshawa's current tent cities, litter and opioid problems and disturbance issues were likely to have been less prevalent back then.
2. I personally don't have any issue with a change to the time. But imo before a final decision, it would be prudent to have more details as to what could be the increased costs related to longer hours risks, and potential extra costs with the City's insurance provider, waste management service department, and what, if any, would be the concerns of the JUBILEE, HOPA and DRPS with an 11pm, midnight or 24 hours-open time.
3. Also what number of warnings and/or fines if any fines have been issued to date since the official 6:00 pm close time came into effect 3 weeks ago since it might give some indication of the Park's after 6 pm. usage.
4. What is best, a blanket change to include all Parks and trails, or a one-off exemption for Lakeview Park
5. The City is Planning to install new Park signs, see two examples below which the City reviewed with the Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee last month. Hopefully any order to the sign supplier can be placed on hold so that the new signs will be current with any Park By-law changes!