Vine Parkette power-wash day today

Misty soapy water floating around the parkette today as the Sparkeen company powerwashes.

 

In the image above they are powering washing the tables.

 



 



 

Anyone for a weekend guerrilla park project for Vine Ave Parkette this spring?

Anyone for a weekend build it use family guerrilla park project this spring in Vine Ave Parkette.

Two days of building and playing with unique parent child interactive play stuff.

Here a great example of a parent child seasAw that can be built half day.

materials, tools, food, fun play parents and kids making, playing together, and of course everyone else letting out their inner kid.

Real question this is.

Wonderful park furniture

 

...really there are no words need to describe how perfect this work is , the piece becomes  a self contained shelter and community place in this setting.

 

[caption id="attachment_9372" align="aligncenter" width="490" caption="Constructed from thick folded steel drawn, shaped and fabricated with painstaking accuracy, this bold red structure is an enigmatic resting and conversation point - Design: sixteen*(makers) at The Bartlett UCL"][/caption]

Vine Parkette new play area now open

Vine Parkette new play area to open when grass is stable in about two weeks

Spoke to the person watering the new grass today, and was told the fence would need to stay, about two more weeks to let the grass grow in.

 

 

 

 

Vine Ave Parkette final grass going in Tuesday morning 10:10 am

While further cleanup of the piles of dirt are being removed by the prime contractor.

Vine Ave Parkette wood chips going in

 





Although this author liked the installation last time when the play station to the east went up when the community piled in the wood chips, see this post

Vine Parkette Jr play area looks to be ready in days

 

[caption id="attachment_8830" align="aligncenter" width="490" caption="sorry about the blur the combo of my hands and fence proved difficult"][/caption]

Attempting to photograph this huge and complicated play structure it appeared to this author early this morning to somewhat funny as to the layers of seemingly fun yet an exciting and scary obstacle course in all vectors of x y and z.

The back lot green area, which is a bit difficult to get to now from the east or mid entrance of the park is being wonderfully grassed over.

[caption id="attachment_8831" align="aligncenter" width="490" caption="The new grassed area - grassed over baseball diamond area - think the blog will refer to it as the back lot"][/caption]

 

Vine Ave Parkette nears completion.

 

 

 

 

Play Equip Arriving now

Vine parkette manufactured play equipment arriving now 3pm Monday

 



 

1:01pm Wednesday stone thrower truck arrives at Vine Ave Parkette

Work continues on the new foundation for the Jr playground equipment.

1st evening Vine parkette junior play area photo story

 

Park wanting

 

 

[caption id="attachment_8215" align="alignright" width="437" caption="bent sign and rundown play equipment in the park"][/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

A few weeks ago a meeting was held with the parks department regarding upcoming changes to Vine Ave parkette. During the meeting a parks representative stated that Vine parkette had a lot (sic) and many other parks had less.  A few of the residents in attendance stated that maybe the park reno for Vine Ave parkette should go to another park.

This author began to wonder about that idea. If Vine Ave parkette is well provided for, as the parks person statement suggested and other parks were were in greater need and  were not getting the investment they needed. Wouldn't it serve the greater and broader community by applying all or part of funding to a near by park that sorely needed a overhaul.

One scenario could have been to purchase a place a needed piece of equipment for Vine Ave. parkette for the mid teens as has been suggested  is needed, and using the other funds to help out a problem park nearby.

Next on the thought  and discovery agenda was to ascertain if there was such a park nearby. A look at the cities website and a few Google map look-ups presented a few parks with a ten minutes of travel  from Vine Ave. parkette.

Upon visiting a few parks,  Westlake Park at 86 Jasper Ave. leaped  out as park in need with ramshackle play equipment and not much of it. The parks curb appeal is not there and  design and objects for protection of runabout children  is weak. The park does have beautiful green hills and sloping vistas that are well maintained.   Situated next to a social housing estate, the need is much greater.

 

 

Jasper Ave & Cliff Street M6N 2M8 Ward: 11  in district: Etobicoke York

Vine Parkette a go go

A rather sparely attended meeting took place in  Vine Parkette Wednesday evening with  local Councillor Sarah Doucette of Ward 13, and the parks department designer for the parkette.

I walked by the meeting,  following my son as he rolled right past his mother who attended the meeting, heading for the swings, he would hear nothing about stopping for a look in on the meeting. So everything I write is well...second hand.

...talked to few people after and got the impression some people liked the plan, while some thought using a 4 year old plan was a bit simple. Others really disliked the loss of green space. Others thought the placement was too close to the basketball court, and that the sight lines with the other play area were weak.

 

---------------------yet the most striking items for me was the low turnout.

Park meeting plans park showing Wed July 6th Vine Parkette

 

between

6:30 and 8pm on Wednesday July 6th Vine Parkette

e parks manager,

Vine Parkette Baseball diamond backdrop pull down video

Many thanks to a blog reader who sent in this video he took of the Vine Parkette Baseball diamond backdrop pull down.

This pull down is the start of reworking of the parkette in the old diamonds area of the park, read the related posts here.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMKfM0RcMDA

10:32pm Councillor Sarah Doucette requests public meeting with residents and park staff to view park plans

 

Vine Parkette Playground equipment public meeting coming up

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="attend the meeting have, have some input, have some fun "][/caption]

Councillor Sarah Doucette has just twittered  about a public meeting to review the park play equipment plans.

The blog will post the date when it gets the info

 

addition post outlining the issue with some good comments click here

[caption id="attachment_7958" align="aligncenter" width="444" caption="A photo from the last changeover to the current toddler equip, local residents spread the chips."][/caption]

Vine parkette Baseball diamond hits the dust today

well right now at 11:49am

 

 

But whats to replace it their seemingly is a lot of conversation over the current plans to place a new Jr play equipment centre in the area near where the the coming down baseball diamond is but little interest in getting involved as to what is going to be done.

Is the parkette to lose it wonderful green space?

 

Update 1:21 pm June 20th

A very good comment by reader John has been posted in the comments section of this post outlining the emails between the councilors office and himself, Click here to go to his comment.

Update 2 about the same time.

This author also wrote an email to the  councilor about the situation, asking for a public meeting about what can be done not what is being done.

The councilors office is correct there was public opinion fed into the process though an in park meeting - yet even then there was concern about the second phase.

But no matter that public forum was held coming up on over 4 years ago, times change in the Junction ..so so much since then...

is it all to hard to have another look before something is placed there for the next 20 years?

 

[caption id="attachment_7944" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The trucks the men"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_7945" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Pulling the concrete"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_7946" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="the foundations "][/caption]

Skate park for Vine Ave Parkette?

As talk about a skatepark at the parkette continues...

Here our some snaps of the current Skateboard Park at Coxwell Ave and Lake-shore Blvd east. In addition to the skateboarders you can see a non skate boarding couple walking though.

UPDATE: had commenter go all heated in the posts just after posting this - urging me to talk to the skaters. (read his comments in the comments sections) Although I wonder why he got so mad at my posting of an exciting skate boarding event.  Although seems he didn't have the time to care to go to the event and support these skaters. Note: if you have trouble with a post on thus blog, before yelling at me put your mind to action and feet to ground.



for world class small park skate yards...see

http://www.rhino-ramps.com/2004/uk/index.php?sub=about_outside



 

 

Vine Ave parkette baseball diamond coming down.. if the crew returns Wednesday the 18th it will be completely gone.

[caption id="attachment_7693" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The west fence wall"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_7694" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="note the chain link fencing material missing from the structure"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_7696" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="a last night for the probably 1972 installed diamond, it replaced 6 Sur Gain grain silos"][/caption]



UPDATED

The blog has  a image of what was planned, although I do not what changes have been made since this image was distributed.

A commenter's stated he had spoken to the  parks personal dismantling the diamond and was told it was to be a new play structure.

So I thought I would post the image

I know the Junction Residents Association held info sessions about this, which I was unable to attend and they may (probably) had more up to date plans. The  City of  Toronto has narrowly defined suppliers and type list for playground structures. This limited choice is probably and risk management  driven plan, rather than a disengagement of the the parks designers with what Toronto communities what.

 

the image...

[caption id="attachment_7720" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Toronto Parks Image"][/caption]