 elwoodbluesElwood Blues
Premium Member
join:2006-08-30
Somewhere in |
City of Toronto Bureaucracy at it's bestSome of you may have read that several weeks ago, a kids wooden playground in High Park was subject to Arson. It burned some of the structures. The community has rallied want to rebuild the playground, Crappy Tire has kicked in a chunk of money to help with the cost of rebuilding. Now a group of companies, including landscapers have come up and offered to do a complete rebuild worth some 300K for free, but can only do right away or in the fall because Summer is their busy time. Parks and Rec listened and said no, they need a site survey and community consultation, because it's a sensitive area. More than two dozen companies, among them landscapers and a leader in “natural” playgrounds, had suggested numerous new additions to the Jamie Bell Adventure Playground, including built-in musical instruments, a hill slide, a recirculating naturalized stream, an extended pathway, boulders and logs for seating, and drainage improvements.
The city’s parks officials heard the ideas for the first time at a meeting Thursday. They did not reject them and had praise for several. But they said the city needs to develop a comprehensive plan for the site, after conducting formal community consultation, before they can give any major construction project the go-ahead, especially because the site lies in an environmentally sensitive ravine. ref I have no idea what's "sensitive" about the area, I've taken my niece and nephews there more then a few times. |
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jfmezei
Premium Member
join:2007-01-03
Pointe-Claire, QC |
jfmezei
Premium Member
2012-Mar-31 5:57 pm
had they offered to rebuild the park exactly as it was before, the city might have rubber stamped it.
But the minute you want to change things, you need to study, consider and ensure the new attractions won't be dangerous to kids.
But they should have given the go head for rebuilding what what there berore right away, and fast tracked the other attractions so that decision would arrive before work on the initial rebuild was done.
If they were in Tony Clement's riding, they would have rebuilt this right away and included extra Gazebos at no cost to the city since the finds would come from the border improvement fund. |
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to elwoodblues
Oh yes, I can just see the new facility now, the "Canadian Tire Corporation Jamie Bell Shopping Adventure Experience" » www.safetyvillage.ca/ima ··· 9790.jpgOfficer Friendly- "Remember kids, come to a complete stop at the sign. There is plenty of time to get to the TD® bank before you book your flight from Air Ontario®. After you can have lunch at McDonald's® before your pop into the HomeDepot® on your way home. If you have a breakdown, just call the CAA®!" |
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 DKSDamn Kidney Stones
join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON |
to jfmezei
said by jfmezei:had they offered to rebuild the park exactly as it was before, the city might have rubber stamped it.
But the minute you want to change things, you need to study, consider and ensure the new attractions won't be dangerous to kids.
And given that it's on city property and the city is liable for any problems, the city has every right to request consultation. This isn't "bureaucracy" but reality and as it should be. |
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elwoodbluesElwood Blues
Premium Member
join:2006-08-30
Somewhere in |
said by DKS:said by jfmezei:had they offered to rebuild the park exactly as it was before, the city might have rubber stamped it.
But the minute you want to change things, you need to study, consider and ensure the new attractions won't be dangerous to kids.
And given that it's on city property and the city is liable for any problems, the city has every right to request consultation. This isn't "bureaucracy" but reality and as it should be. Right you keep thinking that, here you have a people willing to give up their time and money(not to mention materials) and the city stonewalls. If Local 416 had stuck to its guns this would not have happened, they wanted to prevent volunteers from doing a union members job. |
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DKSDamn Kidney Stones
join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON |
said by elwoodblues:said by DKS:said by jfmezei:had they offered to rebuild the park exactly as it was before, the city might have rubber stamped it.
But the minute you want to change things, you need to study, consider and ensure the new attractions won't be dangerous to kids.
And given that it's on city property and the city is liable for any problems, the city has every right to request consultation. This isn't "bureaucracy" but reality and as it should be. Right you keep thinking that, here you have a people willing to give up their time and money(not to mention materials) and the city stonewalls. If Local 416 had stuck to its guns this would not have happened, they wanted to prevent volunteers from doing a union members job. I'll be glad to keep thinking that, especially since the volunteers agree... quote:
Landscape Ontario executive director Tony DiGiovanni, who has helped organize the companies’ effort, attempted Friday to calm the brewing outrage. Noting the need to protect water quality in ravines, he said the city’s concerns were “all things that made a lot of sense.”
“I think it’s important to note that they did not say ‘No.’ I’ve been reading some of the Facebook stuff, and I’ve thought, ‘Oh, no, come on now, that’s not really what they said.’”
Adam Bienenstock, founder and principal designer of Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds, said he appreciates the city’s concerns but that he would have preferred a “damn the torpedoes” approach, given the extraordinary coalition of industry talent that assembled near-spontaneously.
What people want and what is right are often two very different things. And what gives anyone the right to run roughshod over everyone else, just because they can? That's not right at all. |
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 Robert
Premium Member
join:2001-08-25
Miami, FL
1 recommendation |
to elwoodblues
Do it right, or don't do it at all. You can't cut corners or skip steps. |
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elwoodbluesElwood Blues
Premium Member
join:2006-08-30
Somewhere in |
to DKS
I read the article too DKS, your own quote shows the head of the assembled group disagrees. |
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to jfmezei
said by jfmezei:But the minute you want to change things, you need to study, consider and ensure the new attractions won't be dangerous to kids.
That and long term sustainability. |
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jfmezei
Premium Member
join:2007-01-03
Pointe-Claire, QC |
jfmezei
Premium Member
2012-Apr-1 1:01 pm
This city would have looked much better if it had responsed with:
"Because there are additions to the park, we need to do a study to ensure the additions are not dangerous to kids and fit within the environment". However, because of the extremely generous nature of the donations and their time constraints, we will fast track this and hope to have an answer by next week."
Then the city would have look likel it is doing its job of doing due diligence without looking lke it is trying to stonewall the project. |
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DKSDamn Kidney Stones
join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON |
to elwoodblues
said by elwoodblues:I read the article too DKS, your own quote shows the head of the assembled group disagrees.
That's not what I read. But you are free to think otherwise. |
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