|
Update 13th
July 2001
Vansittart Road
Recreation Ground
It's Open!!
And residents had their fun and games
Friday 2nd July
2001
Vansittart
Rec Index
Work proceeds apace to clean the
ramps at Vansittart Skate Park
as the Opening Ceremony begins
The Royal Borough were
keen to show Vansittart Road Recreation Ground at its best for
the Grand Opening on Friday afternoon. With face painting, a
balloon magician, sandwiches and snacks plus a bouncy castle,
there was much to entertain the children, quite apart from the
gleaming slides, swings, roundabouts and other play equipment,
newly repainted for the day following six weeks of use.
Beside the children's play
area, the contentious Skate Park was hurriedly returned to 'as
new' condition with pressure cleaning equipment to remove the
graffiti that had accumulated over the last six weeks. Little
could be done, however, to disguise the charred area of tarmac
which had seen a stolen car set ablaze the previous morning.
A few hardy residents
brave the rain at the Opening Ceremony
With patchy cloud and blue sky to the north,
and thunder clouds to the south, it was a gamble what weather
would eventually win the day. No, it wasn't a gamble. It was
a racing certainty of course! And so within half an hour the
guests were soaked to the skin as quite the heaviest rain imaginable
fell for a few minutes, sandwiched between the ordinary stuff.
Dark clouds and
rain spoil the fun and games at Vansittart Rec Opening
But this did not dampen
the determination of local residents to make their views and
concerns very clear about how the project had been implemented,
and also taking the opportunity to hand over the latest newsletter to both councillors and Borough
officials highlighting the causes and proposing solutions to
the current problems.
Councillor John
Webb, Deputy Mayor, delivering the opening speech
Following the ceremony
further discussions took place with residents, councillors and
borough representatives making sure that the many complaints
that have arisen in the last six weeks were covered and talked
over in depth.
With several possibilities
on the cards, the Borough have invited a group of local residents
to a meeting in the next two weeks so that all the recent problems
can be thoroughly aired and the Borough's solutions examined.
Perhaps the most encouraging
point to arise from the meeting at Vansittart Road Rec today
was that if the steps planned by the Borough fail to meet their
objectives, then 'a paper will be placed before the council'
making provision for the skate area to be relocated in another,
more suitable, part of the town. We would wholeheartedly support
this step, and encourage the Borough to take the opportunity
to provide an even better skate area with every possible amenity,
properly supervised, that residents, and the Borough, can be
proud of.
|
