Dear Resident,
Hello, my name is Mark Dobson. May I ask for your assistance? Despite having had an initial completion date of November 2006 the new skateboard park in Garforth, (constructed at a cost of 171,000 pounds), remains unopened and is now falling into vandalism and is covered in graffiti.
As you may be aware I am standing in Mays election as Labours candidate in the local election for Garforth and Swillington ward and, if elected, I am determined to tackle this problem. I find it hugely disappointing, but not entirely unsurprising that this vandalism has occurred.
The project initially went over budget and now has gone alarmingly over the proposed completion date. Eight months after work commenced it is still not fit for use and has become a magnet for vandals. I inspected the site today with Residents Chair Dave Richards. The facility is covered in graffiti and beer cans, plastic bottles and cigarette packets are strewn everywhere. It is simply unacceptable and, frankly, the blame lies fairly and squarely with the city council that have allowed the project to drift.
For the last two years I have been calling for a full marshalling team to be appointed comprising of Youth Services, residents groups, Police and young people who genuinely want to use the facility for its intended purpose. These calls fell on deaf ears. The councils claims that they would be adequate custodians of the facility appear to have been groundless!
Of course we all want to see improved facilities for young people and I took the time to meet with potential users and hear their concerns. The message I got loud and clear was, unless the project was properly policed, genuine users would stay away and the idiot fringe would claim it as their own. I am determined I will not allow this to happen and again I intend to call for urgent action from the council. I am also interested to learn if the council penalise the constructors for late completion of the project. I have approached the conservative councillor who, to date, has remained silent on the problem so it looks like it will be down to residents to bring about change.
What I am proposing is a co-ordinated residents campaign to Leeds City Council Parks and Leisure Dept to insist on a permanent presence between 15.00hrs and 22.00hrs to ensure the misuse we have seen is not going to become a regular occurrence. You may feel this will be cost prohibitive? Well, if the council are happy to spend 171,000 on the project surely they must be committed to its upkeep?
Can I suggest you use
the reverse of this letter to register your appeal for this monitoring service?
You can return the form to me at 6, Ninelands Lane and I will do the rest.
I am always mindful of the need to work with both residents and residents groups. To that end Garforth Residents Association will also post an online letter you can download from www.garforthra.co.uk. Using this website will also allow you to log your comment via e-mail. You can contact me by phone on 07974 963280 or Garforth Residents Association Chair Dave Richards on 07740280740.
Please turn over for letter
Regards, Mark Dobson.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am/we are
..Of
..
Garforth.
I am/we are writing to you regarding the
Skateboard Park on Ninelands Lane. Even before the project is completed it has
been subjected to vandalism, graffiti and extensive littering.
Clearly this project will have no chance of
success without the direct and urgent intervention of the city council. We
require a monitoring/marshalling service to be permanently based at the
facility until such time as these problems have been eradicated.
Also of concern is the time this project has
taken to complete. There has been no sign of activity in several days that has
only exacerbated the situation.
I/we
await your early response.
Signature
Please return to Mark Dobson, 6 Ninelands
Lane, LS25 2BY
Printed
and promoted by Mark Dobson, The Labour Party, 6 Ninelands Lane, LS25 2BY