Last year Cobourg Town Council received several recommendations that addressed the annual contamination of Victoria Park with industrial amounts of cooking oil and bacon grease from the monster cooking rigs that serve Northumberland Ribfest.
One of the simplest of those recommendations was the request for a platform, or tarpaulin or any other prophylactic device to prevent this annual contamination. Prevention! – what a concept!
There was a recently floated suggestion to allow for permit-only bbqs confined to the Lion’s Pavilion. There is a reason for that. It has a non-absorbent floor. Prevention. But Ribfest gets a free ride to crap anywhere it wants on the lawns. Why was no effort made to prevent this gross spillage of cooking oil and bacon grease? It’s not that Council and the Ribfest organizers didn’t know about it; they did. That was last year.
Look at the attached photos of the fifth annual contamination. The Ribfest organizers did what to prevent this happening again? Nothing that I can see. Every resident of Cobourg should go down to bear witness to the injury to Victoria Park. Observe how long it takes to recover. Visit it every other day or once a week, but check it out. Members of the Parks Advisory Committee should certainly make a walk past twice a week for their own observances.
Question; are those cooking oils and bacon grease biodegradable in a matter of minutes, like rain, like tears, like the natural disorder of natural things? It’s not fertilizer nor coffee, tea, soft drinks, juice drinks, slushies, ice cream carelessly dropped by a nonchalant child. No, no, no, this is big time real contamination done by adults.
These adults chose not to address the annual grease dump in this Great Green Heritage District this year for reasons known only to them. They don’t answer to me, but they should have a civic responsibility to answer to the larger community for this continuing contamination of the lawns. Cooking oil and bacon grease cause harm.
Look at the pictures. Note the oil-slicked grass around the base of a tree that sat behind the cooking rigs. Sloppy sloppy work. Completely preventable. All it would take is the requirement of a tarpaulin or some sort of competent containment.
Repeat after me, “Cooking oil and bacon grease cause harm.”
Look at the pictures. See in some the green grass lovingly trampled by partiers. This is some tough resilient grass. Paramount quality. Fit for daily frolics by countless children. Yellowed grass gets its green mojo back in a couple days. Easy to live with that. But not with dead grass but live root that gets its green back much much slower. Not days, but weeks. There are more and more places were the grass is sparse, where the soil is soaked barren with ugly guck.
Repeat after me, “Cooking oil and bacon grease cause harm.”
Look at the pictures. Dozens of plastic bun bag clips litter the ground, along with two splinters of a broken plastic glass, four depressions caused by a support device left unfilled (golfers with class restore divots.) The park loves bare feet, especially children. There should be no area where children should fear to frolic. “No, no, Johnny, don’t play over there, the ground’s greasy and grimy -- you’ll ruin your clothes.” Every day exuberant caterpillars of children weave their way from daycare to the park.
Repeat after me, “Cooking oil and bacon grease cause harm.”
Look at the picture of the crude boil around the manhole cover. No one in Cobourg is permitted to pour their cooking oil and bacon grease on public lawns let alone near entrances to the storm sewer system. How could such hazardous waste be permitted near that?
Victoria Park is no second level or neighbourhood park. It is top of the top, a crown jewel, a star, The One and it deserves the respect of an environmentally protected area. An easily preventable injury has been done to the lawns for the fifth year in a row. While some patches grow back in days, too many others take weeks. A woman’s black eye will get its colour back before some of those contaminated patches green up. It can no longer be cavalierly dismissed with a grass-grows-back attitude.
Repeat after me, “Cooking oil and bacon grease cause harm.”
Before entering Victoria Park next year. will it be too much to ask that those mobile monster grease pits be diapered?
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11 comments:
There were barrels to pump off the grease, some was sprayed on the grass. I saw tarps under rigs, mats down to protect the grass.
I wonder though, why no outcry by you Wally regarding the Lions Art show on the July long weekend. Far more people. Far more food vendors, Far more heavy equipment. All parked on the grass. Large beer tent, with an even larger grill, spilling bacon, sausage, pancake batter etc etc on the grass. Plus there are several other food vendors. Not to mention the fact about 70,000 people go through that park in the same number of days. Is this because its an Art show? Which falls in line with your poetry being an Art form?
While I personally see no reason to move ribfest out of the park, I also see no reason to pull the Lions Art show out either. The benefits of both events far out weigh a little BIODEGRADABLE animal fat. Both groups contribute to this area. Everything from hospitals to libraries, plus a lot in between. I do not see you posting about the annual antique car show that is held in the same park, the oil, gasoline, etc etc these older vehicles will spill on the grass. Not to mention the crushing of same grass and ground.
I read your original post about the cooking of the trees, and for transparency you have left that inflammatory post up. I will give you this, you admitted you were wrong. Your post about it though does not have the headlines nor the retractions that would be required by anyone else.
Instead of poetic rantings, demands, try reaching out to both of those groups. Do not assume they will not talk to you. As one person put it, follow the money, be constructive, not destructive as your posts show you to be. I point to the line, and I paraphrase here, this, will be the last ribfest in the park if I have my way. or something to that nature.
With all things come a cost. Perhaps if you are prepared to actually speak to the people involved, instead of coming across high handed, and stating you have zero hope of getting what you demand, you might get some where. Just a suggestion Wally.
Anonymous, why are you so afraid to own your words. There is nothing wrong with anything that you had said. No threats. No foul language. There's no record of me ever threatening violence against anyone. Yet you are afraid to own your comments. Well, so much for your respect for transparency.
“There were barrels to pump off the grease, some was sprayed on the grass. I saw tarps under rigs, mats down to protect the grass.”
That’s good but it wasn’t too successful this time around unfortunately.
“I wonder though, why no outcry by you Wally regarding the Lions Art show on the July long weekend. Far more people. Far more food vendors, Far more heavy equipment. All parked on the grass. Large beer tent, with an even larger grill, spilling bacon, sausage, pancake batter etc etc on the grass. Plus there are several other food vendors. Not to mention the fact about 70,000 people go through that park in the same number of days. Is this because its an Art show? Which falls in line with your poetry being an Art form?”
What incredibly childish reasoning. Since you asked the question with sincere curiosity, I will respectfully answer your two questions: no, no.
"While I personally see no reason to move ribfest out of the park, I also see no reason to pull the Lions Art show out either. The benefits of both events far out weigh a little BIODEGRADABLE animal fat."
Sure. It amounted to only a cupcake amount of the finest biodegradable cooking and bacon grease that soaks into the earth like rain. Does it?
“Both groups contribute to this area. Everything from hospitals to libraries, plus a lot in between.”
And even more. They contribute a spirit of volunteerism and community that enriches our society in ways that go beyond material benefit. I read all of the articles in the local media and they always inform me of the good deeds they do. We would all be the poorer without such organizations. Anyway, that’s enough gush from me for this time.
“I do not see you posting about the annual antique car show that is held in the same park, the oil, gasoline, etc etc these older vehicles will spill on the grass. Not to mention the crushing of same grass and ground.”
I was there, enjoyed their presence. (Enjoyed bbq chicken at Ribfest) I didn’t notice any discernable damage after they left. Parks management at a committee meeting several months back gave me a good lesson on the strengths and durability of the grass in that park, and that grass has proven itself to be just as he described it, tough and resilient.
Before I left for Ottawa for the weekend I noticed that the moment when everything Ribfest was removed from the park, it was well aerated for seeding. The wood chips that had been spreading were scooped up. Parks Management got on grounds maintenance and repair in a most timely manner. That was heartening to see.
“I read your original post about the cooking of the trees, and for transparency you have left that inflammatory post up. I will give you this, you admitted you were wrong. Your post about it though does not have the headlines nor the retractions that would be required by anyone else.”
Suppose you compose the headline and retraction “that would be required by anyone else.” I would like to see how it is done. Please provide me a sample.
Look, I know that anonymous people don’t have the spine to step up to the plate about their own shortcomings, but let me give you another admission of wrong. I was opposed to the “frink” when I returned to live in Cobourg for several reasons – those reasons were roundly cut down by the number of blades that slid across the ice. I make mistakes. I make mistakes in public too. I never understood those classmates who declined to ask questions of teachers because they feared to ask a “stupid” question. Silly self-consciousness.
I’d give you more, mon anonymouse, but I’d bore you to death and everyone else with the length.
“Instead of poetic rantings, demands, try reaching out to both of those groups. Do not assume they will not talk to you. As one person put it, follow the money, be constructive, not destructive as your posts show you to be.”
When I addressed Cobourg Town Council last year I offered five constructive recommendations. None of them were destructive. Your assertion in this regard is erroneous. Of course you could never admit to that could you? Besides, any admissions of character from an Anonymous have no merit whatsoever do they?
“I point to the line, and I paraphrase here, this, will be the last ribfest in the park if I have my way. or something to that nature.”
That’s right in the case of cooking cottonwoods. Inflammatory. Let me repeat again that my assertion was wrong. They were not cottonwoods, but elms. The suggestion that Ribfest cooked them was wrong – they died from Dutch Elm disease. If you feel a need for more contrition or whatever, just ask.
“With all things come a cost. Perhaps if you are prepared to actually speak to the people involved, instead of coming across high handed, and stating you have zero hope of getting what you demand, you might get some where. Just a suggestion Wally”
Yes, I know, just a suggestion. I made five of them to town council and you make the smear that they were destructive. I get it. You might be right about the poetry though. The Cobourg Public Library threw out my first book of poetry. It was published with an Introduction written by the Head of the English Dept, McGill University in which he extolled the Cobourg library. I get it.
No Wally, have you actually spoken to the Rotary Club about the issue? Or as I suspect, you instead went to the Town.
I will not bore you with my reasons for not posting my name, it matters not.
I never claimed you threatened violence of any sort.
Considering the number of people that were in the park eating ribs, I would suspect the amount of animal fat, biodegradable animal fat, is tiny.
As to the frink, I was also opposed to it, I still am.
As to the library throwing out your book, I wouldn't know about that, I am sure they had their reasons.
Much like you have your reasons for stopping Ribfest in Victoria Park.
“No Wally, have you actually spoken to the Rotary Club about the issue? Or as I suspect, you instead went to the Town.”
There’s no suspecting about it. If you read the headline of my letter you would notice the words OPEN LETTER TO TOWN COUNCIL. Please note that it did not read OPEN LETTER TO ROTARY CLUB. Are you suggesting that it is Rotary Club that is in control of Victoria Park and not the town?
“I will not bore you with my reasons for not posting my name, it matters not. I never claimed you threatened violence of any sort.
Ok, that is fine with me to know that I don’t scare you. Something scares you – whatever the case – you know your spine is made of lesser stuff than mine.
“Considering the number of people that were in the park eating ribs, I would suspect the amount of animal fat, biodegradable animal fat, is tiny.”
30,000 people eating ribs, that involve animal fat, and, yes, just as you suspected, animals when they die in the woods, are biodegradable, so concentrations of animal fat must be biodegradable also. I bet the fraidy cat, Anonymous pours his teeny weeny cupcakes of animal fat (biodegradable) onto their own lawn, or a neighbours lawn.
“As to the frink, I was also opposed to it, I still am.”
What a crock. Any person dressed up in the burqa of Anonymous can make any claim whatsoever about themselves. None of it is believable, because you are too afraid to stand up to take ownership of your assertion. No one can ever know on the public record whether you opposed the frink or not, just some Anonymous basement teen playing on the internet or a crank.
“As to the library throwing out your book, I wouldn't know about that, I am sure they had their reasons.”
Yes, they did have their reasons. They were as ill applied as you were with your gratuitous 'poetic rant' comment.
“Much like you have your reasons for stopping Ribfest in Victoria Park.”
You have quite the thick skull. I made five recommendations to Town Council. Four of those recommendations kept Ribfest in Victoria Park. Only one recommendation suggested the east pier location. It's all on the public record with my name attached.
If a tree died because of year after year of heat and cooking oil and bacon grease to serve 30,000 people, you can bet your booties I would have a single minded focus to rid Victoria Park of Ribfest. But lo and behold, it did not happen. I asserted the tree was a cottonwood. I was wrong. It was an elm. I suggested it was done by Ribfest. I was wrong. It was Dutch elm disease. I have posted this here again and again and again and again, and you still do not get it.
Now I know why you remain Anonymous. You are afraid of the embarrassment of being wrong about something. What a timid little person you are.
What cooking oil Wally? There is no cooking oil. There is animal fat, period. You were wrong, yippee. You find a problem with me being Anonymous, but you fail to see my problem with your statements about moving Ribfest out of the Crown Jewel of Cobourg. Wow. You are a piece of work.
Let me point something out to you Wally, as to the heat, last I checked, heat rises. If heat was an issue with the roots of the trees, the damn grass would have caught fire. Think about that for just a moment. Yes Wally it rained on the last day of the Festival. The grass has for the most part grown back.
Your open letter to the Town is just that an open letter to the Town. Try going to the Rotary Club with your requests. Ultimately they are the ones that have to meet your requests. Not the town. I would suggest you want a soap box that you can not/will not get with Rotary. Now, Who is spineless? The way I see it, it's you.
“What cooking oil Wally? There is no cooking oil. There is animal fat, period.”
Ok, I’ll use YOUR word: grease. Grease was spilled on the ground. Biodegradable grease? Back to you.
“You were wrong, yippee.”
My my ain’t you doing the childish victory dance, pirouetting on the tip of a insubstantial zinger.
“You find a problem with me being Anonymous,”
Quite the opposite. I have been posting your comments on my blog without censorshit. No problem. Whether I chose to reply or ignore or delete is my privilege. But no problem. You are being published.
It is not the expression of a problem to describe the character of Anonymous. I am simply asserting that you are afraid of something, that you wear the burqa of anonymity to conceal rather than reveal. That’s you.
As for me, I stand up front and centre, take my knocks, step up to the plate, and I do it transparently. It is simply a fact of life that YOU are scared of something. I’m scared of things also. Sometimes I am scared in the moments before I take the stage, or even when I went up to speak to Council last year, I felt stage fright, as it is called. It also is known as a momentary lack of self-confidence. Is that all it is with you and your concealment?
“but you fail to see my problem with your statements about moving Ribfest out of the Crown Jewel of Cobourg.”
I have already addressed that assertion several times in this thread. Obviously you don’t get it. I offered four recommendations out of five that Ribfest stay in Victoria Park. And other reasons.
“Wow. You are a piece of work.”
“What a piece of work is man…” is a wonderful poetic work by Shakespeare. I know very well that you have a deep-seated personal contempt for me. Your problem, not mine.
“Let me point something out to you Wally, as to the heat, last I checked, heat rises. If heat was an issue with the roots of the trees, the damn grass would have caught fire. Think about that for just a moment.”
Heat rises. I agree. There is nothing a tree loves more than three days and nights of searing heat rising up into its canopy. Not the roots, the canopy. Get it? That explains why the grass did not catch fire. Of course. But I had never made any such assertion. I asserted that “grease” or crud or whatever leaches down into the soil, at the same area for five years now. Hmmmm. Inquiring minds want to know if that is good for the grounds.
“Yes Wally it rained on the last day of the Festival. The grass has for the most part grown back.”
I have pretty much already published that. http://cobourgtown.blogspot.com/2011/08/one-week-after-ribfest-departed.html You, Ms Anonymouse, are behind the times.
“Your open letter to the Town is just that an open letter to the Town.”
I applaud you for your comprehension abilities to recognize the obvious when it’s right on top where the title should be: OPEN LETTER TO TOWN COUNCIL. Yes, that is all it is. Not really that important. I am nothing more than an independent voice that is not beholden to any organization.
“Try going to the Rotary Club with your requests. Ultimately they are the ones that have to meet your requests. Not the town.”
Very interesting comment. Perhaps this explains why you wear the burqa of anonymity. The power of the Rotary Club was brought up recently by Robert Washburn. I largely dismissed his article as misperception, because many of the Rotarians that I know, are head and shoulders above me in their personal care and personal concern about the local community and the abroad. I also believe that every Rotarian cares as much about the environment of Victoria Park as I do. I also believe that they would like to do a better job and will do so – not to placate me, but to demonstrate their own natural caring about the welfare of the park.
I could write a lot more in that vein and perhaps will do so. There are a lot of stories in Cobourg that should be told. Not only that, they should be told in the most powerful, visceral, vivid, and eloquent language around. That’s me. Pretty arrogant eh?
I think the Rotary Club is a great story, especially its members. I am bold enough to assert that everything I have read in the papers over the past two years about the Rotary bore me to tears. It’s indigestible syrup, low level propaganda. Mediocrity. Those Rotarians deserve better than that. They deserve someone who knows how to sling language like a short order cook slings hash.
“I would suggest you want a soap box that you can not/will not get with Rotary.”
Bullshit. I’m sure YOU will run interference, but I am also certain that the vast vast majority of Rotarians have much more generosity of spirit and respect for diversity of opinion, than you appear to have.
I would not malign them as you have just done, portraying them as the power behind the throne, or in more literate language, as the power behind town council, with the power of shutting out individual and independent voices.
“Now, Who is spineless? The way I see it, it's you.”
My name is Wally Keeler. I am a brand name. You are a no name nuisance. I am still here. Wasting my time responding to your inanities. I am Wally Keeler. You are ... no one in particuler
NOTICE: If you want to make another comment on this thread, please know that I will post it with the condition that it contains no libels. I want you to know that I will not respond to your next comment, nor any other comments subsequent to that. I am giving you the last word. I no longer wish to dialogue with anyone who regards the Rotary Club as backroom operators. Shame on you.
I implied nothing about Rotary, YOU are putting words in my mouth. My suggestion to you is to talk to the actual operators of the Ribfest. Nothing more. Your lack of response is just another "cop out".
You posted prior to this in a blog, that the heat damaged the roots of the trees. The rigs are set NEXT to the trees, Not under them.
As to my "victory dance", I guess you do not recognize sarcasm when you read it. Try again.
As to the final word, well ok, your Wally Keeler, so what! This is suppose to mean something to me? Wow.
Once more you put words by implication into what I wrote, simple Wally reread what I posted, "Go talk to the Rotary Club" or are you as spineless as most people say you are?
Green Peace VS. DETRITUS
Not everybody likes DUCK ART, but the crowds are getting bigger every year. If you like ribs and noise OK. As long as you can present those summer activities without destroying our public heritage park, and be civil about it I have no qualms about this.
If you remember well, the coal piles left a scar, but the Town and the developers took action to clean safely the grounds. Now because pollution is coined under festivals we are closing our eyes ? What rationale is this ?
Victoria Park used to have dancing, cakes and pies contests etc... nobody was burning the grass, left holes in the ground. In fact at that time there was a great number of flowering shrubs were well looked after, and healthy trees. -- The war made this tradition to become a low priority, but our Military Town is not against nature anymore, we need to work together and find solutions with the Town.
The silent majority of taxpayers are contributing $350,000. each summer to mow the lawn in Victoria Park. Young hired people are not well managed, they mow the lawn, they don't weed, they take the trucks on the lawn(unlike some USA Parks or European Parks !!!) So if you are a grease defender you should pay the difference to the Town of Cobourg coffres in order to repay the Festival damages to our grounds : our only Public Heritage Park.
You see the Tax Payers give money to maintain the Park, they contribute as well to the Festival and their money goes as well to the sponsor the United Way and on top of that they have to foot the bill another time to repair their damaged Heritage Park. Who do you think they are : foolish givers! Let's ask the Rotary for a full disclosure of their accounting. Will they be prepare to pay back the Town in order to participate fairly to these festivals? Perhaps other grounds could be a solution, or something else, who knows !
Before our money goes to other communities and have medals for bravery stamped "ROTARY", let's think of our common good and make the best out of it. Our community should look prosper, then prosperity comes to us taxpayers.
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