It is one of those sensitive issues that really strike a nerve in the community. Over the years there have been long debates over dog runs, parking aprons and sound barriers—now the focus of controversy is a relatively small piece of land in front of Westmount Park School. The City thought it might look into preserving the surface by installing artificial turf—an idea that was immediately shot down by nearby residents who believe the natural state of the park would be desecrated by the addition of any artificial surface.

When Examiner sports columnist Noah Sidel weighed in on the issue last week, he ended up lending his support to the pro-turf camp—but not before listing a few drawbacks, including the headache (and expense) of constantly cleaning it after it has been marked up by graffiti and the bowels of untrained dogs. This, he pointed out, is never a problem with natural grass. And he knows what he’s talking about, for he is a regular at many parks throughout the West End, several of which have had artificial turf for years without any complaints from residents.

It should also be mentioned that the residents who most vehemently oppose the artificial turf idea are not the ones who will be responsible for cleaning or maintaining it. That thankless task will be left to the Public Works Department and has obviously been taken into consideration by the City in its

preliminary research into the matter.

As someone whose ideal weekend is spent about 10 kilometres from the nearest road, I could not agree more with the members of Save the Park and their various supporters throughout the community. Of course the park’s green space should be preserved.

But at the same time, we must remember that the City has a very good track record when it comes to maintaining the ratio of green space, and those behind the proposal—which is still very much in the discussion stage—certainly know what they’re doing.

This debate will rage on, but as proven by the big sound barrier prototype now sitting at the foot of Abbott Avenue, healthy debate often yields results.