Email from Morgan Kennah re: Town Council Delegation 5a) comments - 'Playground for kids'

FW: January 16 - Town Council Delegation 5a) comments - "Playground for kids"

From: Morgan Kennah
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2024 6:52 AM
To: Info Address info@viewroyal.ca
Subject: January 16 ‐ Town Council Delegation 5a) comments ‐ "Playground for kids"

Mayor and Council,

I would like to comment on the delegation 5a) presenting on January 16 on a "playground for kids" in the Nursery Hill Drive area.

As the petition suggests, the focus of the interest is an off‐leash dog park. This interest will not be new to multiple term council members. It mentions a passive playground for kids, although the discussion on the ground, in community, has been about an off‐leash dog park. When Councillor John Rogers attended a weekend community pop‐up meeting last fall, I believe he would have heard this.

I am a resident of Nursery Hill Drive, in a multi‐story strata, with a dog. I've lived in the building and area for nearly eight years, and experienced first hand much of the growth in the area from Presley Place and West Park Lane, to the building of 301 Nursery Hill Drive.

The neighborhood is desired as it has multiple green spaces, both natural (like Garry Oak Meadows and Nursery Hill Park) to manicured (like Chilco Park, and green spaces along Chilco Road).

Nursery Hill Drive is a very busy vehicle road, with a few hundred resident vehicles, regular courier and personal delivery services, and strata maintenance and moving vehicles moving about daily. It has vehicles parked on it regularly, and walkers moving up both sides of it, making it difficult to navigate at times, particularly in low light conditions (due to poor lighting).

Safety and cost are key drivers for Council decisions, acting on behalf of citizens to maintain and improve services and amenities. Maintaining strong green infrastructure has been a continued value and goal of the town, focused on parks and trails to support healthy living and the environment.

There are three areas maintained by town staff suitable for an off‐leash park in the community, has circled in red below. Each are flat, near more available parking on less busy streets, each with varying degrees of infrastructure (e.g., bench, trail, garbage cans). These areas are more conducive to a dog park, would not require the removal of trees (alive or standing dead) to make for a safe dog park (or playground), and landscaping to manage dirt erosion issues, if Garry Oak Meadows was converted into a modified dog park.

The green spaces off Chilco Road, including Chilco Park, are better lit, more accessible, safer and likely less cost to install more infrastructure like fencing. As a plus, Town staff would have a smaller footprint to maintain with lawn mowing and watering, as some of the area would become patchy grass or dirt with use.

It is a 400 meter walk to Chilco Park from 201 Nursery Hill Drive, and about a 200 meter walk to the green spaces along Chilco Road before it.

Thank you.
Morgan Kennah

401‐201 Nursery Hill Drive