if you want something done...

I will preface this post by saying I am not feeling terribly charitable toward Mayor Miller et al these days. Though I doubt many folks are. Listening to the radio this morning it was obvious that I was not the only one glad that the crew at city hall got some well-deserved come-uppance yesterday . Sure it's easy to be a bit of a sourpuss and frankly, schadenfreude does feel pretty good in this instance, but I really just wish our municipal pols displayed more of a can-do, we're-in-this-together attitude when it comes to figuring out this budget thing. They expect no less of us.

Maybe you're lucky enough to live within walking distance of a park that's sprinkled on summer evenings with laughing tots, frolicking dogs and chit-chatting neighbours. I, unfortunately, am not. While my Etobicoke neighbourhood has much to recommend it, the local parks are far from a selling feature. There are a few pieces of 70s-era slides and swings, but the paint is peeling, graffiti has started and the chronically overgrown grass is more weed than turf. It smacks of a community in decline. Though there are dozens of kids in the neighbourhood we are usually the only family at the park. Play matters. Unstructured time to run and jump and explore matters. So does a place to gather and meet your neighbours. We need a better park around here.

I called my councillor, Peter Milczyn, to inquire if or when some new playground equipment might make its way to our corner of the ward and was told there is no budget for such things. It's up to the community to fundraise the whole kit and kaboodle. We'd need about $100,000 for an average climbing structure and some swings. Nothing fancy. I was told it takes most groups 2-3 years to raise the money. Okey-dokey. We better get moving then. I'm hoping to link up with some other families on neighbouring streets before summer's end. I'll blog about our progress as soon as there is something to report. I've been inspired by this organization and by the efforts of another neighbourhood group who is rebuilding Bloordale Park . They've done such a good job organizing fun community events and posting about progress that I feel totally invested in seeing this park built even though we live on the other side of Bloor St. I'll be there on July 25th for the barn raising-style build day, when all the new equipment is installed by a huge team of volunteers. I've heard that they're about 30 people short, so if you've got a few hours to spare JULY 25 they sure could use the help.