Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 11/99) - Kids painted the see-saw, rocking animals, and everything else in Bartam Park bright green, white and rose red. They also pulled the weeds and planted a few flowers.

The face-lift to the park, located at School Draw and Franklin, came thanks to Ecology North, Storefront for Voluntary Agencies and the City of Yellowknife.

It started when Storefront manager of volunteers Ray Eskelson submitted a proposal to the city's Adopt-A-Park program.

The proposal was quickly approved, and the paint, brushes, rakes and other materials were provided.

"We're hoping that spreading the word about this program will start a trend in other areas of the city," Storefront's manager of volunteers Ray Eskelson said.

"In the end, it's about having a cleaner city and about raising awareness so we can get other, similar projects started."

The driving force behind a program like this is the volunteers who donate their time, and energy.

Matt Minault was raking up the weeds he and his youth colleagues just pulled. He relays his reasons for spending the day in Bartam Park succinctly.

"If I wasn't doing this, I'd be bumming around," Minault says.

"Besides, we're making the park better for kids. It feels good to be doing something for the community."

Claire Singer was painting everything in the park that was brown a bright colour. Not much escaped her paintbrush.

"Colour adds life. This park is kind of boring for the kids otherwise," Singer said.

"For me, this is fun. I get to spend the day outside and I think the kids will enjoy the park more."

Yellowknife mayor Dave Lovell said the city has both an Adopt-A-Park and an Adopt-A-Street program.

"These programs offer a way of participating in the community," Lovell said.

"It's as much about awareness as anything else. By participating, it gives both adults and youth a feeling of ownership and pride in their city."