The November civic election was one of the biggest stories of 2011, at least as far as the park board was concerned.
COPE commissioner Loretta Woodcock left after nine years while Green party incumbent Stuart Mackinnon lost his bid for re-election. Also retiring from the park board was the NPA's Ian Robertson after two terms and Vision Vancouver's Raj Hundal after one.
Re-elected to park board was Vision Vancouver's Constance Barnes, who was also elected chair for 2012, Aaron Jasper, now vice-chair, and Sarah Blyth. Newcomers include Vision Vancouver's Niki Sharma and Trevor Loke, as well as NPAers John Coupar and Melissa De Genova.
One of the most popular park board-related stories of 2011 was about a pair of "architecturally challenged" bald eagles and the volunteers who tried to help them.
The eagles, dubbed "Ethel and Bert" by the West Point Grey residents who monitor them, had for several years built their nests in cottonwood trees in Jericho Park. For several years the residents watched in dismay as the eagles' nests disintegrated due to rambunctious eaglets and the occasional storm. So with the help of the park board, the residents had a platform designed, built and erected in a sturdy tree. The verdict is still out as to whether the eagles will nest on the platform, but according to volunteer Corby Stanley the pair is spending about half their time on it.
Riley Park Community Centre closed this year due to the completion of Hillcrest Community Centre. And while the new centre is beautifully designed, it appears to be full to capacity already with no room for population growth.
With the eventual development of a massive housing project next door on the horizon, a neighbourhood group is pressuring the park board to save the Riley Park facility, complete with ice rink, for future use. Residents from the Riley Park South Cambie Community Visions group asked the park board for a six-month moratorium on demolishing the old community centre, but as of the Courier's press deadline that plan did not appear to be an option.
In 2011, the park board once again asked the city's more affluent community centre associations to chip in tens of thousands of dollars to help make up a budget deficit. And while the associations have done so in the past, at least two dug in their heels this year and refused.
The associations believe the money they raise should be spent in their own communities, while the park board argues they wouldn't have made any cash at all were it not for the use of their facilities. Less affluent centres weren't asked to contribute.
Cuts to maintenance at park board-operated fields and facilities became a huge issue this year, particularly when it came to mowing sports fields and other green spaces. While the Courier had been hearing complaints from readers about long grass in local parks, the issue caught fire when a team of SNAG golfers training for the Special Olympics ran into trouble.
It turned out the grass was so long at Trout Lake Park, the team and volunteer coaches couldn't practise. And this was a field the organization was paying to use.
In response, the park board touted the virtues of the "meadow look," as it became known across the city. According to the park board only 14 per cent of the city's passive park space was left to grow at a savings of $150,000 for the year. With the city's recent announcement it's projecting a $52 million deficit in its 2012 operating budget, you can bet there'll be more cuts to maintenance to come.
sthomas@vancourier.com Twitter: @sthomas10
