South Glens residents gather to talk about parks and neighbourhood concerns

by Lucie Roy
Morinville News Correspondent

More than 40 people attended the South Glens Green Spaces Open House held Wednesday night at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre. The majority of attendees were young families with children under the age of 14.

Town of Morinville Operations Manager Donald Fairweather, Sports & Recreation Coordinator Tyler Edworthy, and Director of Community & Protective Services David Schaefer were present to provide assistance and answer questions.

The neighbourhood in the south part of town along Cardiff Road has three green spaces, located at 9412-81 Avenue, 8405-97 Street and 9107-97 Street.

Three separate boards with a map of each respective park were on display along with stickers, dots, pens and a list of park amenity ideas.

Attendees could write their wish list and concerns alongside the park display. A separate sheet was provided for other concerns or comments not related to the green spaces.

Reaction among attendees was mixed for a dog park and a basketball court, with strong feelings for and against the ideas.

Ten-year-old Aida Shima came with a letter t be given to Mayor and Council on what she would like to see in South Glens. Shima said she lived in South Glens since she was three years old.

“I like the South Glens because it is pretty quiet and I have terrific neighbors I also really like my house,” she wrote. “There are some things in the South Glens that could be a lot better. The only park in the South Glens is great for little kids, but I grew out of it by the time I was seven. It is quite small and gets too crowded if there are more than five kids playing at a time.”

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Shima wrote when she goes to the park with her sisters, two of them sit on the bench and watch the youngest play because there is not a lot of things for them to do as they have outgrown the equipment.

She would like to see monkey bars, swings or even a climbing wall, or a basketball court and maybe room to fly a kite, hit a baseball, and kick a soccer ball or even volleyball net. Shima said there is a green space across the street and it has some bushes and a bench and it would be nice to have equipment for bigger kids and a small spray park.

Also on her list and along with quite a few others in the room are more big trees.

A common request was the paved path that only goes half way to Morinville. In Shima’s letter, she mentions it is not safe for children like her to go to Dairy Queen or Tim Hortons without and adult because she has to walk on the road.

She suggests the gravel path behind a fence that leads to the Industrial Park could be paved to make it easier to go to and from town.

Other concerns unrelated to the green spaces included the final lift on the development’s roads, and potholes due to the road not being finished, only one entrance into South Glens, cleaning and maintaining the playground, particularly cat feces, and continuing tree planting in the boulevards. Residents wanted more done about vacant lots with basements dug and no development, the flooding at the back of 9412-81 Avenue, and backfilling behind 81 Avenue where the fence is falling.

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