Council to discuss plan to reduce vandalism and ‘undesirable behaviour’ at Toboggan Park

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The city’s public works department has created a safety management plan hoping it leads to reduced vandalism and “undesirable behaviour” at Toboggan Park.

Parks Manager, Kylah Bryde, will present a report to council Monday outlining plans to mitigate safety concerns, including vegetation management, signage, additional seating, enhanced lighting and enhanced programs.

“This report provides a way of starting a conversation about what approaches will lead to the desired outcomes of reduced vandalism and undesirable behaviour in Toboggan Park while still allowing the park to support recreational activities,” says CAO Milo MacDonald in the June 14th report to council.

The Fort St. John RCMP received 80 calls related to incidents in the park in 2020, according to the report created by the Director of Public Works and Utilities, Jeremy Garner. The city responded by hiring a contract security firm to monitor Centennial Park and Toboggan Hill Park. Grounds, Recreation, and Bylaw staff also make daily site visits to the parks.

“The presence of security seemed to reduce incidents, however, this is not a long-term feasible option.”

The safety management plan’s main focus is the skate park, where there have been well-known issues with drug use, setting of small fires, left items, garbage, and vandalism, according to the report.

Garner proposes Fire Smart vegetation management practices to reduce and remove obstructed areas to help mitigate safety issues in the park. This method would focus on concentrated areas of brush, shrubs, and dead trees near the skate park.

Signage is also being proposed to encourage park users to deter negative behaviours, said Garner, who also suggests enhancing the management and maintenance of the area surrounding the skatepark.

The report includes the proposal of additional seating areas for parents to monitor their children. This includes seatings in an open view to 93 Avenue and the trail systems for natural surveillance.

Other suggestions include enhancing lighting around the skatepark, enhancing programs/activities, regular visits from Bylaw, RCMP and the Park Ambassadors, and exploring the costs to install surveillance cameras.

A pump track can also be considered, possibly in Surerus Park, to give kids a different venue to use their skateboards and scooters, said Garner in the report. In addition, the Kin Park redevelopment will include skate pods along with the trail network.

“Staff speculates that the removal of the Centennial Park skate park may have driven more children in a younger demographic to the Toboggan Hill skate park, which then exacerbates issues of young children being exposed to teen and young adult behaviour,” said Garner.

To improve the area’s appearance, Garner suggests staff can look into a graffiti bylaw or further research on a graffiti wall.

The landscaping involved in the plan is estimated at $55,000, which could come out of Capital Funds allocated to improve parks.

Council will discuss the proposed plan on Monday.