The members of the Margaret Park and Forest Park Community petition the city of Winnipeg to revitalize the grounds of Beryl Watts Park located at 1295 Salter St.

·         As members of the Margaret Park School community, we think we should have some agency in what happens in our community. As such, we would like the shuttered wading pool at Beryl Watts Park to be re-opened and converted into an engaging and welcoming splash pad.

·         The children in our school, daycare and neighborhood communities deserve a place to cool off in the summer time that is both free and with-in reasonable walking distance. Our community should not have to walk 45 minutes to the Perth St. Splash pad, nor should the only other option be to pay to enter the pool at Kildonan Park. Many community members are of modest means and are missing out on the accessible and free options other communities are getting because our community is not a new build or being upgraded.

·         Vince Leah and Beryl Watts were formative members of our community and their legacy grounds need to be reimagined into a space where community members can safely gather to better establish a stronger sense of place. We need Beryl Watts Park to have a larger play structure that engages children from 2-12 years old that offers a variety of sensory and movement experiences. Suggestions include swings, spinning seats, rocking animals, a climbing structure, and a variety of slides.

·         The playground needs more benches, picnic, tables, shelters and garbage cans. This park also needs a fence to separate the park from the parking lot, and a fence to surround a large, locked culvert. Both of these are safety concerns.  A community that gathers together, will take care of the land together. A reimagined Beryl Watts Park will go a long way to building stronger ties with the citizens as well as stronger ties to the land.

We petition the City of Winnipeg as follows:

Ø  We urge our MLA Cathy Cox, and our city councillors Ross Eadie and Devi Sharma along with our Mayor Brian Bowman, to revitalize the grounds at Beryl Watts Park by converting the existing wading pool into a splash pad.

Ø  We urge our MLA Cathy Cox, our city councillors Ross Eadie and Devi Sharma along with our Mayor, Brian Bowman to revitalize the play structure and gathering areas of Beryl Watts Park to include a large and more engaging play structure, more benches, picnic tables, sun shelters and garbage cans. This site also needs a fence between the parking lot and the park and a fence to cordon off an exposed locked culvert.