What deems a park, a park?

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One of the Wilkinson Street callers to our newspaper on May 22 described the idea of the park being used as "green space" as "a crying shame", adding, "There's nothing here now but dirt. It will be grass that council is mowing."

The Warwick resident, who was at the 2015 meeting, said he is "disappointed".

“I’m disappointed that council can’t replace the equipment that was there and was old," he said. "I'm disappointed that the equipment is going all together. Arcoola Park has been used for years. Our kids, when they come home with the grandkids, use it … everyone in this street is in the same boat … they love going to the park with the grandkids.”

SDRC remain concerned about safety, as are residents. We asked the callers if they have seen people ignore the fencing that has been supplied by council to uphold safety and this week’s callers said they had and they hadn’t.

Another Warwick local, who has consistently given voice to this concern of local parks, contacted us on May 22 asking this question of Council: “Who or what report deemed equipment dangerous?” … She went on to say that:“The photos of Arcoola Park prove that it is closed. There has been no decision on replacing equipment, there’s no money to replace it or no timeframe. This means the park is closed.”

“Council, at this point in time, has made no decision to close any parks,” SDRC Mayor Pennisi confirmed via email on May 20, before the equipment was removed on May 22 and in response to our reporting last week, that he said was "inaccurate" in terms of the headline of Arcoola Park closing.

“We do look for ways to optimise the land we own and will consider leasing of unused spaces, trying to gain offsets from them is a conversation we are having at the moment," Mayor Pennisi further wrote in the email.

“What parks have playground infrastructure will also be considered at some stage. Ultimately, a decision on whether we have many parks with a swing set, or target some spaces with a cluster of offerings, will also be a decision that council will make at some stage.

“As an example, should we have a swing set or is it best to theme parks such as Australiana Park where there is a broader range of offerings?

“Ultimately it will come down to what the people prefer and what rate payers can afford.

“Our youth are the future leaders of our communities, and one thing is for sure that wherever we land with this, we must get it right for them.”

We ask the question, "What makes a park, a park?" Let us know via editor@thedailyjournal. ink

30.03.2023