INNISFAIL — The municipal council has overwhelmingly defeated a motion to install a gate at Centennial Park; a measure pushed by Mayor Jean Barclay to finally blunt nighttime youthful rowdyism that for years has frustrated some nearby residents.
“Do we really have to have a place where people can gather and make noise?’’’ asked Barclay just before council voted on a motion to approve a gate.
“I'm talking about closing the parking lot to vehicles that sit there and music's blaring (and) garbage being thrown places. I need to go back and answer to residents there as to what are we doing and is it going to work.”
However, the rest of council did not agree to move ahead with a gate following a passionate discussion at its regular meeting on Aug. 22. Council defeated a motion by a vote of 6 to 1 to approve spending $27,000 on the installation of a timed gate at the park's entrance.
Instead, the municipality will now move towards a beefed-up Parks Bylaw as well as stronger increased signage and more education.
The noise and rowdyism issues at Centennial Park have been before council several times since 2018.
The following year, council approved spending $8,000 for security cameras at the park’s entrance. But concerns were raised intermittently to 2022, when Coun. Jason Heistad brought up concerns about garbage issues in the parking lot.
More recently, council has been advised of a growing number of anti-social complaints from residents.
Gary Leith, the town’s manager of fire and protective services, gave a detailed report to council on Aug. 22 about the number of complaints his staff and Innisfail RCMP have dealt with from May to July.
Leith told council the noise impact to “certain” properties in and around 50th Street was more significant to some than others, and that the installation of a gate would resolve some of the late-night issues.
However, Leith said he still believes Centennial Park is a “safe gathering place” for youth, and from the interactions his staff and Innisfail RCMP are having with them, they are not seeing any issues involving alcohol or drugs.
“We're seeing fairly compliant individuals who when asked to leave generally leave,” said Leith.
Heistad said council talks a “good game” about communicating with people, but questioned the necessity and optics of installing a gate at Centennial Park; considered by many as Innisfail’s most attractive and popular natural amenity.
“To me a gate says, ‘leave, you’re not wanted,’” said Heistad.
“It’s not welcoming in my mind, and that’s why I am struggling with this,” he said. “I truly believe that if you have rules in place, and you have measures of having conversations with people, things can become better rather than just shutting people out.”
Barclay countered that at least one home near the parking lot is being sold for the second time in a year and that she no longer wants to see any more houses being listed for sale from that area.
“We wouldn't tolerate it as a campground. But somehow, we seem to want to tolerate it in our community,” she said of the ongoing issues.
“I don't think closing a parking lot – not a park – from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. is going to be a huge hindrance. All it's going to do, is make life a little bit more enjoyable, hopefully, for people living in that area where they don't get woken up in the middle of the night and having to call RCMP over and over and over again.”
However, Coun. Don Harrison raised the question of signage, noting strong signage has recently been put up at the Innisfail Schools Campus. Harrison wanted to know if they have been effective.
Council was told the town has not contacted school officials on the effectiveness of the signs, and has not tried the same tougher type of signage at Centennial Park.
“I think that would have helped us determine the litmus test; if it's working,” said Heistad, expressing concern about spending $27,000 on a gate when the town has not tried signage nor thorough communication beforehand.
“I've had a resident call me and say, ‘the problem is going to go elsewhere, Jason,” said Heistad. “So, you can compare it to the campground or whatever (but) the young people are going to congregate somewhere, and you got to have rules.”
Leith said when the updated Parks Bylaw is brought back in October for council review that “gatherings” can be included along with enforcement measures.
“My desired outcome for this is we can through education and enforcement (have) that parking lot to be used as a parking lot for the park,” said Leith.
Heistad added that increased fines should also be considered in the updated bylaw.
“If they’re there, fine them as a group. Ding them. Thousand bucks, 500 bucks – whatever, educate,” he said, adding the Innisfail Policing & Safe Community Committee could play an essential role.
“How do we tackle it? I have been on the committee for 10 months. I think we’ve done some good work. There’s more work to be had with this one.”
