Bonteheuwel residents can look forward to an upgraded Vyeboom Road park come July next year.
The R400 000 upgrade will include an upgraded soccer pitch, a multi-purpose astroturf and gym equipment, said Bonteheuwel ward councillor Angus McKenzie.
Work will commence in July next year and the money will come from the ward allocation, said Mr McKenzie. He said the Vyeboom Road park and the David Profit Street park are the last two out of 14 parks left to be upgraded.
“Local labourers will be used for the project. This will be good for Bonteheuwel and will support the change happening in the area to create a healthy lifestyle. There are lots of youth in the area who will benefit from this. There have been incidents of gang war on that field before. We are trying to create more recreational spaces in the area,” he said.
Mr McKenzie said youth swill hopefully use this upgrade as a reason to sway from joining gangs and play a sport instead. He said in order to safeguard equipment, street WhatsApp groups have been opened to make sure that residents keep their eyes on the park for any suspicious activity.
The Community of Bonteheuwel Association chairman, Abie Clayton, said the idea was great but he hoped that vandalism would not occur as it did at other parks (“Own goal as park equipment stolen to make goal post”, Athlone News, April 13).
He said youth and children stole gym equipment to sell the metal to scrap yards for money for drugs. He said the park needed to be properly secured and that residents deserved the same park upgrade as those in affluent areas.
“They mustn’t just place one or two machines but give the same as to parks in Sea Point. They should install lights and a camera as well to prevent theft,” he said.
Vyeboom Road resident Vanessa Pearson, said the park upgrade was a nice idea but gang activity on the corner of Vyeboom Road would prevent children from playing in the park. She said gangs sold drugs on the corner and often shot at each other there over drug turf.
“They should rather use the money for something else like fixing the potholes in Vyeboom and Vlamboom roads, which are very bad,” she said.