Council debates risk of backing Hamilton 100’s Commonwealth Games bid
Thestar.com
February 28, 2020
Veronica Appia
On a quiet little street in Toronto’s Silverthorn area, residents have been living with one particularly polarizing neighbour-- Turnberry North Park.
The local soccer field is sandwiched cozily between two rows of homes and across the street from others.
Some residents enjoy it; others do not. But one thing they can all agree on is that the field has been subject to a myriad of complaints over the years and a solution has not yet been found. City officials are now considering getting rid of it.
Susana Lourenco, who lives across the street from the park, says during the months the soccer field is open, she and her husband experience regular disturbances.
“It’s very noisy,” she said, referring to soccer balls being kicked up against the metal fence. “And there’s a lot of men coming to play from far away. They don’t even live here.”
Rahwa Gebremariam, a resident who lives down the street, agreed, saying the field attracts people who come from all over the city and the GTA.
“They’re not from the neighbourhood,” she said. “It’s no one you’ve ever seen around here before.”
Gebremariam said when her sons ask to play at the field, she doesn’t feel comfortable letting them go.
“I don’t want to take the kids there,” she said, adding that it’s not uncommon to see people doing drugs, or for fights to break out among older teenagers.
Gebremariam said she’s also seen people performing sexual acts there.
Daniel Fusca, public consultation manager for Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation department, said the city has heard these complaints from residents throughout the years and that staff have not let this go on without trying to mitigate the concerns.
In 2014, following complaints of grass and dirt being kicked around the area, the city installed artificial turf grass.
That same year, following complaints of wayward soccer balls smashing into windows and damaging property, the city raised the height of the fence surrounding the field.
In 2015, after complaints that people lingered at the soccer field, making noise after hours, a locking system was put in place to keep people out after a certain time in the evening. But residents say the lock doesn’t keep people out -- they just scale the fence.
“There were measures taken but unfortunately they were not successful in appeasing the local residents,” Fusca said.
Currently, the city is proposing a redesign for the park, following public consultation sessions held last year.
The proposal will mean getting rid of the soccer field and constructing a more multi-generational space that can be enjoyed by residents in the immediate area.
City councillor Ana Bailao said following community consultation, it was recommended that the park include unique climbing structures and a green space with benches and picnic tables, not just your typical swings and a slide.
“That’s what staff took away from that -- to have something that people can enjoy and doesn’t have to be locked up by a certain point in the day,” she added.
She said construction is tentatively planned to take place this year, pending the city budget.
The design for the new park is still in progress, but residents who are in favour of keeping the field don’t see how these new plans will mitigate the issues.
“People doing drugs? You’d see that anywhere,” resident Mario Junipero said, adding his kids enjoy playing at the field.
“It keeps our kids entertained and it’s close to home.”
Junipero, who has been living in the area for two decades, said Turnberry North Park was always meant to be tailored more to older kids and adults, as there is another park nearby that caters to young children. He said the current use is more suitable for that than any climbing structures.
“It’s just sad for me; it’s just sad,” he said.
Neighbour Shaza Shehata, who has an eight-year-old son who plays competitive soccer, agreed.
“Getting rid of it is not the best thing,” she said. “(My kids) like the soccer field. And this is a safe neighbourhood.”
