Everything But a Kitchen Sink in 2015 Park Clean-Up

| Terraview Willowfield Park Friends

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It is always amazing to walk through what looks like a clean green space almost daily and I had originally worried that there wouldn’t be enough stuff to actually hold a clean-up.  Was I ever wrong!

With over 20 pairs of hands and feet scouring the park, we managed to remove:

  • 1 safe (and a lockbox sadly, the millions were long gone from the inside)
  • 2 basketballs from the creek
  • Countless pieces of Styrofoam
  • A half eaten lunch
  • Paper, plastic, aluminum cans
  • Racoon skill
  • Shopping cart (Toys R Us)
  • Election signs
  • Wood

And the list goes on.  There were a few “eww gross!” comments but many many laughs to go along with them.

After 3 hours of hard work by an army of people, our parks are now clean and ready for another summer of fun.

A special thanks to all who participated today and I promise we’ll do something fun without the need for gloves and disinfecting wipes real soon!

Getting Ready for the Community Park Clean-Up

| Terraview Willowfield Park Friends

This Saturday is our second annual community clean-up.  As part of Clean Toronto Together, the Terraview and Willowfield Park Friends will be joining our fellow park enthusiasts from around Toronto spruce up our neighbourhood greenspace.

 

For those who still want to join us, it is never too late.  We will be meeting at the Terraview Park Playground at 11:00 a.m.

 

To read more about park clean-ups along with some safety tips, check out our clean-up page.

Park Safety Reminders

| Terraview Willowfield Park Friends

With spring thaw underway in Toronto (finally!), there are a few reminders about water safety around the ponds in Terraview and Willowfield Gardens park to keep visitors safe:

  • Pond banks may be slippery and unstable.  Keep animals, children (and yourself) away from the edges of the pond.
  • High amounts of snow this year may result in higher water levels in the ponds and rapid increases in temperature may cause ice jams and similar conditions.
  • Debris covered by snow will appear as melting occurs.  Exercise caution if you are picking  up any debris in the park or call 311 if you discover any unsafe conditions.

Soon the paths will be clear and with any luck, grass will appear in the next few days.  Get on out there and stay safe!

Connecting WIth Fellow Friends at the Toronto Park Summit

| Terraview Willowfield Park Friends

Saturday March 7th the Toronto Park Summit brought together over 400 fellow park enthusiasts and those involved in parks and recreation from across Canada, including 2 people representing Friends of Terraview Willowfield Parks.

The Summit began with a performance by the Regent Park School of Music, opening remarks by Dave Harvey, Executive Director of Toronto Park People, followed by a cross-Canada panel on parks and a community showcase on innovative things happening in our own city.

There is lots happening in the movement for better parks across Canada, with Toronto friends groups leading the charge.  As the warmer weather promised by weather reporters heads our way, it will be exciting to get started in our own park system.

Winter @ Willowfield

| Terraview Willowfield Park Friends

Winter in both Willowfield Gardens Park and Terraview Park still are full of life; dogs are out for a walk and people are walking through the park on the way to or from home.

This past week, I took the long way home and walked the length of the park taking pictures, enjoying the sunset and wondering when the frigid cold will cease and snow would eventually melt for spring to come.  It was nice (albeit cold) to follow the path worn down by foot and paw prints from start to end.

187Next week, planning for our new friends group is going to take a big step forward as we speak with City staff, begin contacting other people interested in joining the group and planning for our first meeting gets underway.

Parks have a unifying affect on the communities they reside in.  They are a place where neighbour meets neighbour, those living on one street meet those living on another and makes it somehow easier for people to give a passing “hello” with a smile in the grocery store.  Healthy parks sow the seeds for community pride and create vibrant, active neighbourhoods in our City.  Many of us use our parks and I hope that our new group helps us make a great place to live even better.

By next week, we should have made more progress on formalizing our group with a meeting planned for mid-March to strike up a Steering Committee and to speak with the Park Supervisor.  Spring will arrive in three weeks and with warmer weather on the way (hopefully sooner rather than later) and with any luck, we’ll have the splash pad up and running at Terraview before we know it.