While out on my morning run recently I came across a huge piece of playground equipment tossed at the side of the road on 194 Street and 68 Avenue. Across the street is a neighbourhood park that on any given night provides evening entertainment for numerous families.
It seems that someone with nothing better to do thought it would be a good idea to dismantle a children’s playground, either for fun or in hopes of selling the metal. It is absolutely heartbreaking to come across such heartless acts of vandalism. On another occasion, someone used wire cutters to cut down the wall of climbing ropes.
We have all read stories over recent months about the state of Clayton Heights with its crime, overcrowded schools, and now alley after alley of monstrous garbage bins. We are told to watch for things out of the ordinary, but with a transient population of tenants it is hard to know if the people coming and going between houses are renters or robbers.
I have had my barbecue stolen off my porch and our street lights are stripped of their wiring every six months.
I don’t know if Mayor Watts has toured Clayton Heights in the last year, but it would be nice if a little more thought could be put into approving development or regulating suites until money is put aside to fund community infrastructure. Those of us that are doing our best to raise kids with a moral compass are having to deal with so many acts of petty crime. It disgusts me that so many teenagers are roaming the streets and their parents don’t seem to care that they have a collection of spray paint cans or hood ornaments.
I will continue to do my best to teach my kids manners, respect for property and the importance of family. We will sit down to a family dinner each night and then walk up to our neighbourhood park to play on what is left of the playground equipment.
Lindsay Summers