Concerns remain about CSL's Rembrandt Park
By Joel Goldenberg The Suburban
Published September 24, 2008
Côte St. Luc council recently approved the purchase of water park equipment for Rembrandt Park for $81,000 and playground equipment for $26,000, among several improvements planned for the park.
“This is something that many of the residents living in the area had asked for,” said area councillor Mike Cohen. “Many of the people on Rembrandt have young grandchildren who enjoy this equipment. We expect the construction to begin around September or the beginning of October. This will [start to function] next spring. It will replace the shuffleboard area. It’s a beautiful addition to a park we have lots of plans for.”
Cohen added that the playground equipment — a slide and climbing structure — is meant for children aged two to five, and construction will takes place this month.
But during question period at a recent meeting, former Côte St. Luc councillor Henry Marcovitz - now a resident on Rembrandt - welcomed the improvements, but said he has been told of problems in the park at night, in areas not very visible from the street.
“I don’t believe we have such a problem,” said Mayor Anthony Housefather. “We periodically have issues just like any other community, and youth between 14 and 18 loiter, but we don’t have specific problem at Rembrandt.”
“I’m happy to hear it,” Marcovitz said. “I have no interest in having problems across the road.” Housefather also said public security and volunteer Citizens on Patrol (vCOPS) go through parks at night.
Cohen asked at this point to comment, but Housefather declined the request, saying that unless he had “something specific to add,” interventions were not usually allowed during question period.
Asked after the meeting what he wanted to say, Cohen said residents have told him “for the last couple of years that they feel the park is not safe, sometimes at night, that they don’t feel secure going in there, and that the changes we hope to make in the next year - removing the basketball court, adding more tennis courts, having a more lighted area [will make an improvement].
‘We’re not saying there’s an epidemic there, but there’s a concern. There have been incidents, but it’s by no means an unsafe park. People living in all these buildings should feel secure to go and sit in that beautiful park. They shouldn’t be afraid.”
At a recent district council meeting he led, Cohen said the basketball courts attracted non-residents, and that area seniors “are particularly intimidated to walk through that park at certain times of the night.”
During that meeting, resident Sam Rappoport said he once heard what sounded like five gunshots from the park one night, and said vandalism has taken place.
Park attendant Ruby Goodman, who works at Rembrandt until 10 p.m, agreed.
“The police should be going there after midnight,” he said at the time. “The city worker who works with me every day finds needles, drugs, burnt benches - we’ve had a fire there already.”
