Editor, The News:
Following a weekend visit to Selvey Park, I was left to wonder if municipal council is aware of its existence and the existence of other municipal parks outside the downtown area.
For council’s information, Selvey Park is situated in a rural area at the end of 106 Avenue, west of 272 Street, well within municipal boundaries and thus eligible for funding and proper maintenance within Maple Ridge’s parks budget.
Until I pointed out its location, my guess is most members of council and senior staff members would have required directions or a GPS system to find it.
The current physical state of the park is ridiculous. Not quite hilly enough for a golf course and not quite flat enough for soccer or ball games, it is best suited for simply looking at and wondering what the heck is going on at city hall. The field’s poorly drained surface is uneven at best and dangerous at worst.
There are other examples of poorly maintained parks in other areas of Maple Ridge, but Selvey and Ruskin parks are probably the worst.
Expenditures improving the aesthetics of civic properties within the downtown area seem to have gobbled up any available tax dollars for the past few years, Maybe it is now time for council to turn its attention to the east or other areas where sorely needed improvements are long overdue.
Sandy Macdougall
Maple Ridge