LETTERS
I was greatly disturbed to see the photo report in last weekend's Post, bringing to light the deplorable condition of our city parks and beaches. Furthermore, I had the opportunity the following day to see the state of Centenary Park for myself, the occasion being that my niece chose that park as the venue for the party to celebrate her seventh birthday. Our idea had been to spend an enjoyable day outdoors, taking advantage of the natural surroundings, recreational equipment and not to mention, of course, the endless charms of the surroundings.
To our great disappointment, what we encountered was an entirely different experience. The grassed areas were strewn with plastic bottles, wrappers, cans and other litter. What we found in the sand area of the swings enclosure was an endless array of broken glass, more litter and dog excrement, obviously by no means the ideal site for a children's birthday party.
We quickly relocated our party to the nearby beach; however, that was no less traumatic an experience, the waterline being dotted with all kinds of plastic packaging and disposables, disposed of improperly. All in all, it was a disheartening thing to see.
The points I would like to make are the following. Firstly, how can it be that we find such degradation of our communal spaces acceptable, as it is clearly the local community responsible for leaving these spaces in such a state? And secondly, how is it that the local authorities have taken no steps to a) maintain these public spaces, and b) enforce or encourage some kind of civic pride and communal good practice where the disposal of litter is concerned?
—Steven Brightman, North Scarborough
