GONE TO THE DOGS
Neglected entrance to off-leash area turns to mud soup whenever it rains.
When a small piece of city property that links to a beach is neither parkland nor sidewalk, chances are it’ll fall through the cracks.
And with no one looking after it, a tiny sliver of land that leads to the off-leash area that runs along Balmy Beach is transformed into a muddy bog whenever it rains.
Alan Demb sent us a note saying he’s appalled by the condition of the entrance to the beach, at the foot of Nursewod Rd., south of Queen St. E. and right next to the R.C. Harris water treatment plant.
To get to the beach and off-leash area, some people descend an impressive concrete staircase that’s part of the grounds of the Harris plant and creates the impression it leads to a path that is no less substantial.
Anyone who thinks that would be dead wrong.
Demb sent a photo with his email, showing a strip of dirt that runs between the beach and the bottom of the staircase, bordered by oldfashioned snow fencing that looks like it’s about to fall down.
“This must be the most poorly maintained major entrance to any park in Toronto,” he said.
After consulting a map of the beachfront west of the R.C. Harris plant, we determined that the beach entrance at the foot of Nursewood cannot be considered a park entrance.
Other than the doggie area, the closest park is the eastern border of Balmy Beach, several blocks to the west. Since off-leash areas and beaches are considered city parkland, Demb was partly right.
But he is 100-per-cent correct in concluding that it is poorly maintained, no matter which department is responsible.
Someone has laid down several large pieces of wood across the middle of the walkway, obviously to make it less of an ordeal to get through it when it’s a soupy mess. Status: James Dann, who’s in charge of waterfront parks, emailed to say his staff have determined that “this space is not part of the adjacent park, but we have a maintenance crew available to address the issue through the City’s Orphan Space Program, and we will have it maintained seasonally from this point forward. Staff will have the area cleared and maintained before the end of the week.” What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Send an email to jlakey@thestar.ca. Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.