MILES ROAD RESIDENT'S LETTER TO MAYOR FORD - CONTAINS HISTORY OF ACTIVITY AT THEIR LAKFRONT PARKETTE

Dear Mayor Ford:

We are residents of Miles Road, which is located in the west end of our city. It is located at the edge of the Mimico 20/20 area. We are writing to you in order to call to your attention an ongoing issue regarding our Miles Road Parkette, which is located at the end of Miles Road, on the waterfront.

The waterfront view of our city line, from this Parkette is probably one of the most beautiful views in the city, and is enjoyed by our street as well as many others within our surrounding community and beyond.

Since 2005 a group of Miles Road residents have worked together in cleaning up our Parkette as well as planting some perennial flower gardens. We have contacted our Councillor, Mark Grimes (Ward 6), for assistance with various issues regarding the Parkette such as;

1. The installation of a protective railing at the top of the sewer outfall for the safety of anyone visiting the Parkette; (DONE)
2. Opening up the entrance to the Parkette so that it is wheelchair accessible; (DONE)
3. Two new benches , a concrete pad for the benches and a chess table; (DONE)
4. A Miles Road Parkette sign;(DONE)
5. Proper garbage containers and regular pickup of garbage; (DONE)
6. Adding more filler to the break wall ; and
7. Request to establish and define the proper property lines of the Miles Road Parkette.

It is important to understand the driving force to our commitment to clean-up this Parkette. The following points demonstrate this reasoning;

1. There was a slop just above the sewer out-fall which became slippery during times of rain or snow;
2. During the summer of 2004, we had observed a child in a wheelchair and his care giver taking their daily walk down Miles Road but they could not access the lake front because of the guardrail that stretched all the way across the Parkette area;
3. The original bench was an old broken bench with only one board left and hence was not safe for sitting;
4. Clear signage and clean-up of the overgrowth was required so that the Parkette could be returned to the community for its use, rather than be used for illegal purposes;
5. An old barrel was the container used for garbage and was seldom emptied by the city;
6. The current break wall has sustained some severe erosion and therefore should be enforced with some kind of filler to ensure it continues to be safe for the high traffic the Parkette sees, particularly in the summer during the fireworks and airshows; and
7. Because of the very popular use of the Parkette all year, it is imperative that the City stop the encroachment of this Parkette by the adjacent property on what is clearly City property.


To all of the above points our councillor and various City departments have assisted our community to the best of their ability. However, two items remain outstanding which require immediate action:

1) The break wall is matter of public safety and needs attention to ensure no injury occurs for which the City could be held liable.
2) The enforcement of the property lines adjacent to the Parkette. This is specifically pressing as one of the properties, #8 Miles, has currently set new post holes, beside an already existing illegal fence, that was installed many years ago and still stands. The action needs to be taken now, before the new fence is completed.

In closing, I refer you to the community meeting held at the Ken Cox Community Center on May 29th regarding the future plans for the Mimico 20/20 development, where one of the keynote speakers, Mr.
George Dark, talked about the importance of maintaining access to the lake and specifically the small roadways that dead end onto the lake with the parkland. With the development that is currently taking place within our waterfront, we are sure you recognize this extremely important asset to the community as a whole. As such we would appreciate your intervention in ensuring that the two outstanding
requests are addressed immediately.

Sincerely,
Miles Road Residents