Asking the community about the best use for its pocket parks is a discussion we need to be having, says Mt Riverview mother of three Melissa Grah-McIntosh.
Mrs Grah-McIntosh says many families are travelling out of the area to use more modern parks with better facilities, when we need to be asking the community what they want out of their local park.
“There are older communities in the area. We could have a quiet space for older people to relax, or an exercising station,” she said.
“Parks are important places for people to connect. It helps create safe communities.”
Having a community garden where vegetables were grown was another option that was worth considering, she said.
Mrs Grah-McIntosh was also concerned about the age and maintenance of some of the Mountains pocket parks, and feels there are others in the community who share these concerns.
“Do we really need to be driving out of our area when we have great local parks, they just need a bit more care,” she said.
“I was interested to see Blue Mountains Council running its Parks Week campaign on Facebook encouraging people to get out and visit our parks. That would be great, if our parks were adequately kept up-to-date and maintained.
Our local parks are what help us stay connected.
- Melissa Grah-McIntosh
“Parents and grandparents should be able to walk their kids to our local pocket parks, not have to get into a car to drive to the larger district parks, or to parks outside of our area.
“It’s those walks to the park where we find out what’s going on in our streets, and we stop to have a chat to our neighbours. Our local parks are what help us stay connected.”
She says some parks could be more regularly cleaned, like the park in Robertswood Avenue, Mt Riverview.
“There was rubbish littered about the park, someone had left old furniture just outside the gate and the sun was blaring onto the metal equipment, even late in the afternoon,” Mrs Grah-McIntosh said.
“But this park is in a great location, it connects Mt Riverview and Blaxland East, and there's always families about.
“Let’s not keep letting our parks go. They are the parks that time forgot.”