My children ask me, “Why don't we go to a splash pad today to cool off?”

Great idea, but wait! We were promised one by the City of Hamilton and Mr. David Mitchell two years ago and guess what? We have to get into our car and drive all the way out to “Dundas Driving Park” to cool off in their splash pad, play on their accessible recreation equipment and enjoy what a park should be like.

Since the amalgamation with the greater City of Hamilton, Winona Park continues to be left behind and forgotten.

The beauty of Winona Park continues to be lost through neglect; the fields are still a mess with trenches dug through them, the playground is still outdated and littered with garbage and broken bottles, the swing sets are still in poor shape, the picnic tables and benches in the pavilion have been vandalized and are unsafe to use.

The path that goes through the park continues to crumble apart, the lighting is still poor and the washroom facilities are always locked and if open they are unkept and have a foul smell.

The paved parking lot has now turned to dust and the sidewalks leading to the park from Barton Street are still atrocious. They are filled with pot holes and crumbling pavement making it dangerous to ride a bike, push a baby stroller or use any assistive walking device be it a walker, wheelchair or cane.

Sure, the city has recently put in what is supposed to be a soccer field but apparently have forgotten to put up the nets. As well, poor planning with this so called soccer field has resulted in constant water buildup. Every time it rains, water sits at the edge of the field for weeks, causing a horrible smell and a mosquito infestation.

As of today, despite the number of complaints from local residents nothing has been done to correct this problem. At least the new path around the field provides residents with a safe area to enjoy walks and runs. However, with the upcoming Peach Festival, I am curious to see if cars and amusement rides will be permitted to park on this new path and field, thus destroying its existence.

With the continuous increase in housing and population in the area I again encourage our city councillors to urgently review this situation and provide Winona Park residents with what was promised: a splash pad, newer play equipment, paved parking, a sports building and safe accessible park access so that our children and their children can continue to enjoy this great green space as we once did in a safe and fun manner.

Richard Zagrodzki, Stoney Creek