.
Search
 Email this articleE-mail this story  Discuss this articleWrite letter to editor  Discuss this articleOrder a classified ad  Print this page

Rock park isn't rolling for residents

Jessica Klinkenberg
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 04/06) - A rock park is not a safe place for kids to play, according to a mother of two.

Families on Demelt Crescent, in the Range Lake district of the city, have been waiting for a park or playground they were told was going to be built, but instead they have a pile of rocks.

NNSL Photo/graphic

Laurie Deutscher stands before the pile of rocks that will eventually be a park or a playground for two sons, Luke and Nolan. - Jessica Klinkenberg/NNSL photo


Laurie Deutscher has two children and her main concern with the rocks is safety. "I've seen kids back there and the rocks move. All it's going to take is one child who gets a foot caught in the rocks," she said

Juliana Vilan owns Jolly Munchkins Day Home that backs onto the proposed park.

"That's why I chose this spot. I said okay, there will be a park out there, so we chose this (location).

"Parks are really far from here. Parks are mostly downtown or near schools, and when there's school there's hardly any room." she said.

"I'd like to see it become a park or a playground. There's so much rock around, a green space would be nice," Drescher said.

Andrew Morton, Manager of facilities with the City of Yellowknife, said "It's on our priority list, it's just not on the top of the list."

Morton has put the request for the playground in for the 2008 budget. "It's a two-year program. The first stage is to level it out and let the area settle and the next year ... put in the play equipment."

Morton estimates that the playground will be completed in 2010.

"It could come sooner depending on what the council wants, or it could come later."