NorthCamden.Org

With the meeting last week in Council President Fuentes office regarding North Gate Park, I thought it would be good to get some information out here.  First, a schedule for repairing the park was presented (click here to see the schedule North Gate Park Renovation Schedule.) The schedule calls for the park to be completely refurbished by mid May.  There were many concerns about the status of this schedule as it wasn’t clear how much the renovations will cost or where the money is coming from.  Furthermore, the ongoing issues about park oversight were discussed.  What made North Gate such a great park for so many was that there was 24/7 security present.  This was great for helping to create a welcoming enviroment where many could enjoy the park. However, in the plans for the park, there is no discussion about this.  It was clear from the discussion that Fairshare Housing needs to be in this discussion, as they ran the park so well for many years.  Their presence and stewardship is missed!

 I have uploaded images of North Gate Park below.  It is hard to believe, even with full funding, that the proposed schedule can adequately address all the concerns in the park.  Last summer the park was open and without a concerted effort by many, I fear the park will not be open this summer!

It seems to me the priorities need to be:

• Sitdown with Fairshare Housing and see about continuing their stewardship of park
• Securing funding for park rehabilitation (especially if there is money for Point Park then let’s make sure that North Gate gets completed)
• Having the park opened for the summer
• Speaking with one voice for North Camden—there are a lot of groups who seem to be acting here—DCCB, SOW Steering Committee, Ad Hoc groupings, etc.