We had an interesting and important discussion at our last ECCA Board meeting. I’m sure most residents in Eau Claire appreciate and enjoy the great job the City did with the improvements and upgrades to the Bow River parks and pathways in our community. The Peace Bridge, the Delta Gardens area where the Bridge meets the pathways, and the whole pathway system have become a magnet, attracting people, not just from our own community but from across the city. And I expect that if you were able to participate in our last ECCA Annual General Meeting online you were excited to hear about the plans of the City for further improvements. Particularly, in this time of COVID, it’s important to have outdoor spaces like these to let us get out of our apartments and enjoy open spaces safely.
However, even as this attracts people to the area, it also brings some problems. We were disturbed and concerned at our meeting to hear more about some of these. Our discussion focused on three potentially growing problem areas: graffiti, safety on the pathways, and excessive noise.
We had reports of increased prevalence of graffiti on areas like utility boxes, some large surfaces on the bridges and even some of the planters in the Delta Garden.
Safety on the pathways has undoubtedly improved with the separation of lanes for pedestrians and wheeled transportation – bicycles and scooters. But it was surprising to hear of continuing abuse, especially late at night, including instances of even motorcycle traffic on the pathways.
Concerning noise, the main problem seems to be people bringing loud, amplified music with them to the parks.
Your Community Association Board plans to try to work more closely with the City, including planning, parks, bylaw enforcement, and the police service to address these concerns.
In the meantime, there is much that each of us can do as individuals to help. If you see instances of graffiti, or unsafe behaviour in the public spaces of the community, report it to the city through resources, such as calling 311. Our experience with graffiti for example, is that once informed of graffiti on public spaces, the City is usually very prompt at cleaning it up.
And as a Community Association too, we want to hear about it. So, let us know by sending a note to us at [email protected].
In the meantime, stay healthy, stay safe and enjoy all that our great community has to offer.
