Students of this blog know that I have been a long time critic of the park department's disregard of the infrastructure within the parks. While most of my criticism has been in regard to the WPA structures, they are just part of an overall pattern of neglect.
Recently, I was distressed about the replacement of the wooden pavilions in Cedar Park with wall-less metal sheds. Worse for my mental health, in between that decision and its implementation, they allowed the paint to peel away and the wood to rot for a decade.
As poor of a decision as that was, it pales in comparison to what's happening in Canal Park. In Canal, the incredible unique buttress wood supports are beyond peeling, into rotting. While the pavilions in Cedar Park were charming, the pavilion in Canal is irreplaceable. Although it is a shame, actually a crime, that it got to this point, there is a solution. Wood epoxy is available, which can be filled into the rotten crevices, preventing further decay. The uniqueness of this structure justifies such a restoration.
It’s very very difficult to understand this level of neglect.
ReplyDeleteYou’re lucky if you even get a decent replacement at Canal Park. It seems there is nothing unique that will remain in the city, just cheap imitations, from park pavilions to cookie-cutter downtown office buildings.
ReplyDeleteI hope I’m wrong about that, since the work at the Covered Bridge is ongoing, but what I’ve seen there so far doesn’t seem like they’re preserving much. Maybe some leftover siding from the many Reilly buildings will soon adorn the Covered Bridge as well.
Back to Canal Park, if the city isn’t going to stop out-of-towners from taking over the park, I’m not even sure that I support a cheap replacement there. City residents deserve better than paying even more to be pushed out of their parks.
Off topic, but I can’t help but notice the new speed humps popping up like weeds across the city. The latest one is in front of the Rose Garden (close to Ott Street).
ReplyDeleteIt seems that these are taking the place of actual enforcement of traffic laws in the city. Now we all pay in inconvenience as the administration virtue signals its “concern”.
I’ve already seen cars intentionally speeding up and braking hard at the new humps, and I can’t wait until the roving groups of dirt bikes and ATV’s discover these are excellent ramps to launch their vehicles from. That should draw large gatherings of those types of vehicles to those areas.
For now, I’d encourage all residents to honk their horns each time they go over the speed humps, and let city leaders know how much they love (or hate) them.