Kiwanis Park users finding pay system frustrating

KITCHENER — A fun day out at Kiwanis Park turned into a frustrating experience for Robin Edwards and his family.

On Saturday they all went to the Kitchener park to enjoy a relaxing summer day outdoors together.

“Kiwanis has always been our go-to place,” he said.

Edwards has been going there with his family since he was a child, and as usual they parked in the grassy lot nearest the shady part of the park.

His mother has mobility issues and that was the shortest route to a picnic table they picked out under the trees.

“She has quite a bit of trouble walking,” Edwards said.

The family went through a gate in the fence surrounding the newly refurbished pool, but by early afternoon they discovered that entryway was locked.

The only way back to the car was to walk to the main pool entrance and then double back to the parking lot, about a kilometre-long trek.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Edwards said.

Some of the gates have been closed with the implementation of the new payment process, explained Denise Keelan, manager of aquatics with the City of Kitchener.

The aim was to “lessen the confusion” and help people get accustomed to the new parking system and then go to the guard house in the pool area to pay admission.

“We understand that some people are going to have to walk a little farther,” Keelan said.

Before, people paid at the gate entering the park, but that was leading to a long line of cars for the record number of people coming to the park this season after being closed last year for repairs and upgrades.

The new pay system was implemented on the July long weekend, after a particularly hot and busy Father’s Day weekend.

“It’s a work in progress,” Keelan said.

The main gate is open at all times, and that is the best access point for people with mobility issues because it is paved and designated parking is nearby.

The plan is to start opening the other gates through the day this week in a graduated process to make it easier for people to spread out in the park and enjoy other amenities, Keelan said.

“We’re trying to design the best system so our customers are happy and comfortable.”

Edwards and his family stayed all day at Kiwanis, just not going back to their car. When they left around 7 p.m., they asked one of the park staff to unlock the gate as Edwards was told to do by a supervisor.

All afternoon, he said, they had a front-row seat to the annoyance of other visitors who found the entryway locked.

“The one guy was throwing his chairs against the fence,” Edwards said. “People know that as an exit.”