THE drab state of Berea Park has become a concern for local residents who have become sensitive to the slow decay of local parks in the area.
According to one resident who walks her dogs in the park every morning, the state of the once beautiful park is saddening.
“The park is getting worse, with vagrants lying all ove. They defecate in the park and leave their rubbish lying all over. One of the vagrants was so aggressive and threatened my dog with a stick. It’s bad when there are children playing in the park. There are also no plants and all the trees are dying from borer,” she said.
The woman said she had spoken to a representative from Parks, who said the vagrants were a difficult problem to address and pointed out that the plants were seasonal.
She said she was also shocked when four men wanting to play soccer in the park were told to leave.
“Apparently they have to have a permit to play there. I would rather have them there playing soccer than the vagrants!” she said.
According to ward councillor Jethro Lefevre the vagrants are being dealt with by law enforcement. “They have been reduced to one who seems to be very stubborn. It is an ongoing battle throughout the city as people are drawn to the city to find work and then when they don’t they end up on the streets. Parks like Berea Park are relatively sheltered with the big trees so they become popular among those who have nowhere to go for shelter,” he said.
When asked about the soccer field, Lefevre said the field was leased to a soccer club. “As far as I know people can play there when the club is not using it as long as they respect it,” he said.
