Bells Corners’ worst pathway may be about to take a turn for the better.
A determined group of neighbours is putting the pressure on bureaucrats and politicians to finally do something about a long-standing community concern.
The councillor just shrugged his shoulders. A local resident, Rick-friendly Sun reporter Doug Hempstead, dismissed the group as just “lobbying to use tax dollars,” ridiculing the residents for trying to beautify and make safer a community pathway. There are other parks not that far away, he sniffed, like Franco West Park (sic) and the greenbelt.
With that kind of support from the councillor and the media, what are the odds of a good outcome for the community? Besides, the tax dollars are needed for the larger-scale investments needed to transform Bells Corners into a shopping mecca/drive-through paradise.
A 2003 safety audit by the Ottawa Police offered two options to make the area safe. Closing down the pathways is not a serious option, so what would option 2 look like?
bellscorners 
maybe I misunderstood, but I thought the idea to beautify this pathway – the whole area – was a safety issue nothing to do with a ‘park’
it is not just for beautifying – it’s pride of community / ownership and safety
it is a walk through – nothing more
it has been a site of attacks because of the overgrowth
it is an easy access for the community – but not safe
putting in new plantings and making it more pleasant would prevent most of the ‘garbage’ that goes on in that space … and by ‘garbage’ I mean the food wrapping junk that is there, and the activities that go on
community, city, police, hydro have broached this so many times in the past and got nowhere, it’s about time they really looked at safety and did something about it
and as for Mr. Hempstead … for someone who lives in the community (?) … love the way he calls it Franco West Park … just seems like it’s their park when they take it over all the time … it actually is Westcliffe Park and the city owns it and the city owns most of the land that the school uses, including the sports field on the hill and most of the field and track on the lower field …. in the past there used to be a reciprocal agreement between the city of Nepean and the former occupant (St. Paul’s and the English Cathlolic board) where they used the land and the community got to use their gym … change of school and amalgamation and things got lost in the shuffle
there also used to be good rapport between St. Paul’s and the community in particular regarding the garbage that littered the community from students using this pathway at lunch
one big circle … nothing new
If the improvements actually get done to the pathway, it will need to be named. How about calling it “Lloyd Francis Way”?
I’m a bit pessimistic that the idea of beautifying the pathway will suddenly change the attitudes of all the school kids who take that path and feel the need to throw their garbage everywhere.
I know the theory is that if it’s a well-maintained and “pretty” area there is less compulsion to litter.
Frankly I think it will STILL be a dumping ground for the kiddies. These are the same kids that walk along Tarquin and drop their crap in the middle of the road as they walk on by.
Question: Who will maintain (ie. clean up the garbage) if the path is improved? Obviously no one is doing it now.