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by Fred Kirby            August 18, 2004 

Tiny Tots Park, after two years, is going to be made whole again, and the bandstand is being assessed for repairs. That is good news. 

But why is an engineer required to assess the bandstand’s condition?  It is a three-sided, small, simple structure on which a tree fell. Is there no one in the Building Department capable of assessing the building? And why did Council not know the threat of termites to the Pavilion and deal with it? Kincardine is listed on the University of Toronto’s website as a termite area in South Western Ontario. It is another costly case of sleeping at the switch. When will Council realize buildings cannot be preserved if not properly maintained? It was Chaucer who wrote, “If gold will rust what must iron do”. It is all about standards set at the top. 

As for the parks, it is irresponsible to expect one fulltime employee to carry out the work required to keep up the parks and many related activities to any acceptable standards.  

Why did Council pay for a marketing strategy to be developed before its product was ready? Yes, the garden at the end of Harbour Street is lovely, thanks to volunteers, but the area across the street by the tennis court consists of weeds and dead grass thanks to Council. Walk along the path and see the pile of broken asphalt under a tree and an area littered with garbage. Will that be in the video courtesy of the mayor? High standards come first, then marketing. 

Parks need more staff. Council has to hire one more fulltime trained person. No relatives please. They should also hire for the season, May 1st until after Thanksgiving, three temporary staff capable of working independently when necessary. Quite likely there are skilled retired people under 65 yrs of age who would like such work and have established work ethics. Even at four days a week they could accomplish much. Pay a decent wage, not minimum. If Human Resources policy doesn’t fit this arrangement, change the policy. Policies are not written in stone. What is required is political will and leadership, especially leadership.