Sharp metal edges on planters hazardous
A close brush with street planters on a busy residential street could have painful consequences.
The intersection of Crawford and Dewson Sts., near Ossington Ave. and College St., was blessed many years ago with three large planters that no doubt charmed people with their unique design.
Instead of the usual square concrete containers, the wooden planters are all angles and sweeping curves, finished with a metal covering that looks like copper but isn’t (or it would have been stripped by scavengers long ago).
But the metal covering the planters is showing its age and has started to peel in spots, as part of an inevitable deterioration that happens over the years.
Gaspard Montandon sent us photos along with a note that said the planters are “badly damaged and present sharp pieces of (metal),” adding that “kids love to climb on these, but they could cut themselves on the metal.”
Reporting the problem to the city didn’t work, he said, noting that “they sent me from one service to another.”
We went there and found three planters at Crawford and Dewson and a fourth in front of a nearby school on Montrose Ave., all of which are bristling with razorsharp metal edges that are clearly dangerous.
The metal is also scrawled with graffiti that should have been removed by the city long ago, if it applied the same rules to itself that it does to others, while the plants in them could use some weeding and a gardener’s touch.
But it’s understandable that Montandon got the runaround when he called the city; figuring out who’s responsible for planters that were probably built 25 to 30 years ago is not so easy. Status: We’ve asked transportation services if it can get the sharp edges repaired, have the graffiti scrubbed away and maybe even have the beds within them cleaned up. Update: On Tuesday we reported on a beat-up old RV that has been camped out for a month on Gladstone Ave., next to Dufferin Grove Park. Sandra Cruickshanks emailed to say she instantly recognized the RV in the photo with our column.
“This decrepit vehicle sat on Huron St., just north of Bloor St., for 4-5 months last fall and in early winter. I was just about to call the city when it disappeared.
“Only this past weekend did I realize it turned up at Dufferin Grove.” What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. To contact us, go to thestar.com/yourtoronto/the_fixer or call us at 416-869-4823 email jlakey@thestar.ca. To read our blog, go to thestar.com/news/the_fixer. Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.