Nelson Park shaping up

By Naoibh O'Connor-Staff writer

An off-leash fenced dog park, a basketball court and a skateboard stop are part of an overhaul of Nelson Park proposed by the parks board.

Bounded by Nelson, Comox, Bute and Thurlow streets, the park has long been plagued by crime and drug dealing.

Neighbours have spent years lobbying politicians and police to clean up the site, which is home to Lord Roberts Annex, a kindergarten to Grade 3 elementary school. The proposals for the redesign, which were unveiled by parks board staff at a school board planning and facilities meeting last week, will also be presented at public meetings this fall.

Encouraging people to use the park during non-school hours is a major goal of the redesign.

Jim Lowden, director of Stanley District for the parks board, said efforts to improve the neighbourhood began with the move of the farmer's market to Comox Street on Saturdays. He said Vancouver police are considering moving a community policing office into the field house in Nelson Park.

The fenced dog park proposed for the Thurlow Street side of the site would be the first of its kind in Vancouver and act as a test case in dealing with one of the city's most controversial domestic issues. People have complained about Nelson Park's off-leash status, citing concerns about aggressive pets and dog poop.

The basketball hoop on the proposed court would include an electronically controlled iron rod that could be moved over the top at a prescribed hour to prevent nighttime play that could disturb neighbours. A similar controlled hoop at Douglas Park has worked well for three years.

The skateboard stop is based on the idea that skateboarders only like to stay in one location for a short time before moving on. "We're starting to dot downtown parks with a couple of features," Lowden said, explaining a skateboard circuit is taking form.

Lowden acknowledged two Nelson Park neighbours have already expressed concern about the skateboard proposal.

Members of the school board's planning and facilities committee were concerned about the basketball court's location next to the school and its young students on the Bute Street side.

"It just seems to be incompatible with an annex next door," said COPE trustee Jane Bouey, who suggested it be moved to another portion of the park.

Ian Cannon, Lord Roberts Annex's vice principal, said moving the staff parking lot to a less visible area could expose them to danger, particularly if they work late.

"To me it's like a puzzle. I like the pieces that are there but I think they have to be rearranged," he said after the meeting, pointing out the basketball court and skateboard stop would be best placed outside school property in Nelson Park.

Cannon liked the fenced off-leash area and moving police into the field house, but he wants the school property fenced to dissuade dogs and strangers from entering the grounds.