Open letter to Cobourg Town Council

August 26, 2012

Dear Mayor and Town Councillors

Last week I left a memory stick at the Town Hall containing photos and a five minute video clip pertaining to Ribfest in Victoria Park. I requested that it be given to Councillor Larry Sherwin and that he, in turn, forward it to the town arborist.

The photos and video display how heavy vehicles run over the roots of the park’s cottonwood trees, and park their weight on top of these same roots, for five days, from set up to take down.. The roots are shallow, that is to say, they run along just inches below the surface, and in some instances, the roots are visible on the surface.

The photos will also show that a number of these roots, visible on the surface, had been spray painted with florescent orange paint. Only the roots had been painted. That did not diminish the traffic of heavy vehicles running over them.

Victoria Park lost six mature trees so far this year -- and a sapling recently died. Two were brought down by wind damage, two by Dutch Elm disease, two were brought down by other unhealthy factors.

Those cottonwoods have been providing canopy services for generations. Their height and maturity lend an ambience of grandeur to Victoria Park. I would appreciate Town Council considering the notion of a protective perimeter around those trees.

Victoria Park is not just any Cobourg park. It is smack in the middle of the heritage district. Those cottonwoods are living heritage. 

Extending the life span of those cottonwoods is the goal. Any activity that jeopardizes that life expectancy should be prohibited. Please obtain expert advice about this concern.

Secondly

The bylaws concerning Victoria Park includes the following under the heading Organized Gathering and Picnics, "5.3(b) While in a park, no person shall: (b) Have a picnic within a twenty (20) metre radius of a Cenotaph of Remembrance."

I measured the distance from the main pillar of the Cenotaph of Remembrance to the fence. It was 6.5 metres. The grease pit cookers are parked within that 20 meter radius. That bylaw does not concern itself with any health or safety issue, which is the normal motivation that creates bylaws. The above bylaw was created to respect and honour the Cenotaph of Remembrance.

Question: When issuing a permit to an organization to hold an organized gathering where food is cooked and eaten, is bylaw 5.3(b) suspended? If it is not suspended, will it be enforced in the future?

All good things

Wally Keeler