Barrie’s Queen’s Park has lost its users because of safety concerns and drug use that are worrying players and coaches.
The park is a nearly 10-acre stretch of land at Ross and Toronto streets with a large baseball diamond, playground, tennis courts and a skate park.
In the past, the baseball field was regularly used by the city’s two organizations of the sport — the Barrie Minor Baseball Association (BMBA) and the Barrie and District Girls Softball Association (BDGSA).
However, a comment at a recent city council meeting showed that is no longer the case.
At this past Wednesday’s council meeting, Ward 10 Coun. Bryn Hamilton spoke about the organizations no longer using the diamond due to safety concerns.
“Most recently, we’ve heard that the Barrie Minor Baseball Association has cancelled all diamond permits at Queen’s Park due to a presence of individuals that are participating in drug use, and break-ins in the washroom and canteen facility,” said Hamilton. “The (BDGSA has) also declined to book this field for the same reasons. This is not OK. We cannot continue to accept this as being OK.”
Scott LaMantia, the city’s manager of marketing and communications, confirmed to BarrieToday via email the city was aware both the boys and girls baseball associations will not be using Queen’s Park for the time being.
“There are currently no user groups using the diamonds at Queen’s Park,” he said.
BarrieToday reached out to both organizations. Emails to several BMBA members went unanswered, but the BDGSA responded.
President Sean Hayward said the association pulling out of Queen’s Park has to do with the atmosphere in the evening.
“It has to do with a lot of the people that hang around down there after certain hours. It’s just not a desirable part of the city anymore,” he said. “Queen’s Park used to be the place to be on a Friday and Sunday night. There was lots of good baseball going on with good crowds. It’s just not like that anymore.”
Hayward said the organization hasn’t enjoyed using the field for many years and the only team that has used it recently was the oldest age group at the time — U17.
“They were only there from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and it was only the girls and the coaches. There were no parents or spectators,” he said. “As soon as it gets to be just after 8 p.m., they wanted to get out of there because that’s when people started hanging around that, quite frankly, worried our kids and coaches. The city would provide us with security, but that shouldn’t be on them to do. It’s not fun seeing security walking around, and they shouldn’t have to.”
When asked for an example of an incident that would scare off players and coaches, Hayward said he had not seen any violence or threatening behaviour, but he couldn’t speak for parents and coaches.
“There were always needles lying around on or near the benches and in the outfield, and our coaches would have to go do a sweep of there and the field. If one of our kids landed on a needle, I can’t even imagine,” he said. “Coaches had complained of groups of folks that worried them taking over the field and benches during practice.”
LaMantia pointed out the motion council passed on Wednesday night directed staff to “investigate and take action on a series of initiatives aimed at addressing the chronic homeless situation in Barrie and creating a safer community for everyone.”
Hayward said his teams have relocated to Springwater’s Tree Nursery Sports Park for the rep teams to have fields with lights, and he said the city lacks the number of proper diamonds needed to help train and play.
He acknowledged he has no answer as to how to fix the situation at Queen’s Park.
“I really have no idea. Do you just get rid of the diamond and expand the skate park? I don’t know,” he said, “but it’s sad that that ball diamond is just no longer usable after being the heart of the city for so long.”
