By MATTHEW MEYER | Reporter
A shady grove in the El Medio Bluffs known as the “Almar Plaza Parkette” has long served as a mini-oasis for parents and younger children seeking a play area close to home. Over time, it’s collected a peculiar number of toys and play-sets. What started with a swing and a trike or two has now turned into a hodgepodge of abandoned playthings that fill nearly every space of the parkette.
While some of the toys remain in decent shape, others seem to have been dumped there for their dilapidated look; and with increased use, the crowded grove has begun collecting even less desirable offerings. Ryan Craig, who lives just around the corner, said he’s seen everything from diapers to a rain-sodden rug strewn about the space.
Craig and his kids used to frequent the plaza, and when it started going to disrepair last summer, he tried to use it as a learning opportunity on civic engagement, helping them fashion posters asking parkette users to clean up after themselves. To his disappointment, their requests went largely unheeded.
“It’s been sad, over the last few months the kids don’t even want to stop there anymore,” Craig told the Palisadian-Post. “It’s like a dirty outdoor pre-school.”
The tiny space is not an officially recognized city park, so it will likely remain the responsibility of parkette users to tidy up on their own. Craig and others hope they will; otherwise this Toy-Story tragedy of the commons may rob the Bluffs of their treasured alcove for good.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.