The neighbourhood of Seaton Village prefers bocce ball to basketball.
Or at least it would prefer the Italian lawn bowling to kids shooting hoops in its neighbourhood park, Vermont Square.
This choice emerged recently as Vermont Square, a small patch of green south of Dupont between Palmerston and Rossmore, was slated for revitalization [see PDF for the plans here].
Teenagers in the area repeatedly asked for a basketball court, but the only ball that will be played in Vermont Square is bocce ball – even though one of the goals for the park renewal is to increase appeal to youth.
The city has dedicated $425,000 to phase 1 of the renewal project and a public consultation began last October.
Andrew Ignatieff, Park Renewal Team Chair and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff’s younger brother, said a few basketball nets shouldn’t be that difficult to install, monitor and maintain on the existing hard-surface play area. He believes the residents are reluctant to go ahead with the nets due to fear.
“This neighbourhood has the highest concentration of university academics, lawyers, doctors, accountants, professionals, right? So they’re not going to say ‘no.’ But what I find difficult in the dialogue is just how stereotyped people are despite that,” says Ignatieff.
“The unspoken thing is the connection between a basketball court and drug-dealing. [People think] kids are immediately distributing ecstasy…and people can whip themselves up into a real lather very quickly,” he continues.
Jennifer Hunter, Chair of the Seaton Village Residents Association (SVRA), admits that residents appear hypocritical.
“It’s ‘we’re all artsy fartsy pinko kooks,’ until it comes to your backyard.”
But Hunter says there have been real problems with basketball in Seaton Village.
“The problem with basketball is that kids want to play…at two o’clock in the morning,” she says, pointing to the basketball courts at nearby Palmerston school, which were removed due to noise complaints.
“I know that some schools reacted to some nefarious activity happening in schoolyards when basketball nets were present. And when I worked in schools we had to go through the yard every morning and pick up beer bottles. So it’s going to happen.”
Though basketball is taught in schools, enjoys worldwide popularity and is played professionally, the belief remains the sport is directly linked to drug use. It’s ironic, because in many cities, basketball is promoted to youth as a physical activity to counter drug use.
Hunter suggests that a basketball court may attract kids from other neighbourhoods, and that is part of what Seaton residents are trying to avoid.
“Is it, if you build it, will they come? I don’t know. They’ll be youths hanging out in the park, are they area youth? I have no idea. Does it really matter?” says Hunter.
With or without a court, redevelopment is moving forward. To appease the teenagers and the residents, a “compromise” has been reached.
“What we’ve ended up with is a multiple purpose single floor hard surface that will be painted…You can have volleyball, handball and basketball, hopscotch, jump rope, foursquare,” Ignatieff says.
Although a flat cement patch gives teens a place to play, with no volleyball or basketball nets installed, it’s unlikely teens will use the space at all.
At one of the public meetings, a 14-year-old member of the St. Alban’s Youth Council expressed concern about the flat surface area.
“The cement area? Flat cement is kind of boring,” he said.
Lisa Rappoport, an architect with PLANT, the firm leading the renovations, thinks that basketball is better suited to a schoolyard.
“Basketball sends a shiver down a lot of community spines in case it’s across from their house,” says Rappoport.
“Adam Vaughan’s office said that they would try to work [a court] through the local school system. They’re negotiating a full size court a block and a half away at Palmerston school.”
Park renovations will also include a field area where teens can play, as well as a stage and art bench, playground updates, a café, reading nook and new trees. Yet no basketball nets.
Phase 1 of the process will begin in June 2011 and is slated for completion in fall 2011.
