The following article appeared in the June 5, 2007 edition of the Guelph Mercury:
The higher the grass gets, and the more dandelions that go to seed in Guelph parks, the more pressure Ian Haras is under.
“It’s been one of the three worst weeks of my life,” said Haras, Guelph’s supervisor of park activity and infrastructure.
Haras has been inundated with complaints from citizens who think our parks are looking more like pastures than picturesque green spaces.
According to Haras, the spring growth spurt has left crews scrambling to keep up with rapidly rising grass and weeds.
Some say crews are not doing a good enough job.
Shirley Greenwood, a Milson Crescent resident, said the unkempt state of our public green spaces is “an absolute disgrace.”
Greenwood said she and a number of her neighbours are fuming over the high taxes they pay and the scant services they get in return. She added she has been “extremely vocal” on the lack of green space maintenance and has made presentations to council in each of the past two years.
Greenwood wants to pin the infamous title Weed Capital of Ontario on the city because she says “fiscal mismanagement and sheer incompetence” have resulted in overall neglect of our parks. In a letter to Mayor Karen Farbridge and city council, Greenwood said the condition of the city’s parks, boulevards and public areas is “an embarrassment.”
Considering the “exorbitant amount of taxes” homeowners are being asked to pay, the letter states, the city should be able to find the resources to keep parks manicured.
Greenwood said she isn’t happy with the work being done.
“There are these young kids on the mowers and I’ve watched them basically flatten the weeds as they rush to get the job done,” she said. “To me it is a waste of money to pay for their salaries and for the gas in the mowers.”
Haras said crews are working to meet the park maintenance standards set by council, trying to do the rounds with mowers every 10 days. But conditions are ideal for rapid growth of grass and dandelions, he said, and it is hard to keep up. Next year, he added, he will seek a bigger budget for more equipment and larger crews so parks can be groomed more often and more preventive measures — such as fertilizing and aerating — can be taken to keep the weeds from going to seed.
“With this big flush of growth this spring, that standard (of cutting every 10 days) can’t keep up with the growth of dandelions,” Haras said. “You can cut one day and they will be back a couple of days later. We always get calls this time of the year because the growth is so quick.”
Ward 2 councillor Ian Findlay is hearing from many people who feel the 10-day cutting cycle is not frequent enough, and he understands the frustration they have over the less than immaculate conditions.
“I am receiving a number of very legitimate letters and phone calls about the condition of our parks,” he said. “Ten days may work in July, August and September, but it may not be most appropriate for May and June. I would like to get staff to respond to these concerns. I have some concern that the parks aren’t being done within the 10 -day cycle, but I can’t confirm that.”
Findlay said the park in his neighbourhood near Baker Street is “looking a little shabby right now,” and that it may be over 10 days since it was last cut. Findlay will ask staff to explain why the grooming of public spaces appears to be lacking.
“I am hoping there is some information that staff can provide me that would give me some reassurance that either we have a number of mowers that are broken down or there have been rain dates or labour shortages,” he said, adding he also wants to know if a shortage of funds for maintenance or a strict adherence to policy is behind the problem.