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Rossglen Park - Where is City of Rossland Accountability?
Submitted by dmcmcc on Wed, 23/04/2025 - 9:22am
To further the conversation happening about the Rossglen Park project that has begun on the inflation post, I have put together the best "before" photo I could find of Rossglen park, alongside a current photo taken today. Important note - these photos are obviously taken at different times of the year. The current photo taken in April (bottom), the before photo taken in the month of July a few years ago (top). That said, since this project began two years ago, the irrigation has been off in the park and the grass is dead and brown by July anyways.
This discussion began because residents are wondering how the City can justify projects like this that are unnecessary, when they are proposing a 61% tax increase over the course of the next five years. This Rossglen park project began June 2023 with the removal of two trees that I was able to date back to likely the 1940s-50s (through the rossland museum). Those trees were deemed to need removal by an arborist who also received the contract from the city to remove them. The city has stated that through public engagement the community wanted a gazebo or something of the sorts, in this park. To date I have never seen this public engagement report despite asking for it. I have spoken to many residents who live around this park or who used to frequent this park, not one person I spoke to was involved in this public engagement. I couldn't find a single person who lives in this neighbourhood who wanted this gazebo. The project budget has changed over time. The project has taken nearly two years - for comparison, the new city hall and apartment complex took two years start to finish. Its a flipping gazebo! This orange fence has been up at this park for TWO YEARS. My family purchased the house that we did with one of the prime selling points being this park. Over the course of a decade we watched hundreds of people, families, children every year enjoy this park. Birthday parties, bbqs, community gatherings, yoga, bike lessons, soccer games, community meetings, celebrations, slackliners, outdoor enthusiasts, bird watchers. . . . the list goes on and on of the people who used to use this park on a daily basis. Now it is rare that we see people over there. Our family went from using and enjoying this park everyday in the spring/summer/fall to never using - its not even a consideration anymore. We travel outside of Rossland now for green space enjoyment. I have been in contact numerous times with the city over the course of two years inquiring about the status of this project. Time and again I hear from them "the project has been delayed" "we know its frustrating" "it will be aesthetically pleasing when its done"...... But I have yet to see the city take any accountability whatsoever of the destruction of this green space and the fact that it has taken TWO YEARS to build a gazebo that is not even done and atleast half of this park has been barricaded off for that time period. I don't think much of the community is aware that this has happened / is happening. I have spoken to many people who don't know where this park is. But I assure you - this park was cherished by our community for a very very long time, and I think that the value that this park once had in our community has not been honoured in the process of this project. Also worth noting - there does not seem to be any information about this project currently available on the city website - there is a spot for it to be, but the information is not there. Photos:
 Town: Rossland, BC Always use caution and do not send or receive payment without ensuring the item is legitimate.
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I notice now that I posted this, it is difficult to see the orange metal fence.
Surrounding the entire construction site, just to the right of the picnic table in the lower picture, all the way to the parking lot on the far right that you can't see, is an ugly bright orange metal fence that has been up for two years.
I remember that around 6 months after the projetc broke ground, the cuty council had a meeting and they mentioned that costs had risen by $120k and so needed to increase the budget for the project.
Seriously... the original budget with the extra design costs came to around a quarter of a million dollars for a sun shade.
Being that they want to increase our taxes by 10% annually and then spend that amount on a vanity project seems totally insane. We live on a street that has had a pot hole that is increasing every day and now so bad you have to drive around for 5 years and even though we have asked several times for a repair they simple say it is not in the budget.
Were is the accountability with this city and the councilors? I was never asked about the Rossglen park, if any one was asked I would like to know and how it was done.
This council is out of control being that you can attend a meetting and speak for 2 minutes but they do not respond even with a written answer.
It is amazing how they took a naturally beautiful park with mature trees that gave wonderful shade from the sun in summer and totally destroyed it for a concrete structure. This is made worse given that concrete production adds so much CO2 to the enviroment via it's production...410 kg of CO2 per cubic meter of concrete
My daughter and I still frequent this park regularly as it is the only one within walking distance.
Completely agree that a gazebo is a waste of taxpayer funds. I would have much preferred the money be used to upgrade the playground equipment which is of the era that I played with going to school and is therefore falling apart and becoming dangerous (not to mention the constant issue of the broken glass in the soil).
It is sad that despite paying more taxes than residents in Trail, I have to take my toddler down to Trail to find an age appropriate playground experience.