Mayor Merlin Seymour would like to remind the public Lions Park is not a landfill. During the regular meeting of Meadow Lake city council held Monday (Feb. 9), Seymour once again raised an ongoing concern of his – the large amount of litter, trash and debris found floating about Lions Park on a near daily basis. “I’ve received some comments about this and I’ve witnessed it firsthand quite regularly, but I’ve spent the occasional lunch hour at Lions Park and I am disgusted by the amount of garbage in the parking lot on a daily basis,” Seymour said. “I know the parks and recreation staff is tired of picking garbage up. I usually take a zip through there in the mornings on my way to work, and there is always garbage there. One morning I picked up two garbage bags full – food wrappers and all kinds of crap – and then, the next day, there was garbage out there again.” Seymour also confirmed with council the parking area he is referring to is the one located behind the Meadow Lake and District Museum near Assman Field. “There’s often a multitude of vehicles parked there and, while I’m glad people go there to have their lunch, there are frigging garage cans around there,” he said. “If people can’t use them I’m probably going to suggest we either quarantine it (parking lot) off or we have the RCMP and the bylaw department sitting there handing out tickets.”

Last spring, the issue of garbage in Lions Park was Seymour’s reasoning behind community safety officer Joe Hallahan’s decision to subject a number of Carpenter High School students to a breathalyzer test when they were parked behind the museum eating their lunch. “There have been numerous incidents over the last few months with garbage being left in the parking lot behind Diamond 1 (Assman Field) from some people who cannot seem to find the garbage cans with their takeout bags and containers,” Seymour stated at that time. “This was brought to the city’s attention by numerous people using the walking path. I have made a few trips out there myself, and there’s often a lot of kids who do eat their lunch there and it never appears as though they are doing anything wrong or anything bad. But, when they leave, there’s A&W bags and Subway wrappers, just garbage everywhere.” During Monday’s meeting, Seymour said the garbage issue has not gone away. “It is disgusting,” he said. “There’s garbage, and I even came across a couple of beer cans. That’s probably one of the things that stimulated the traffic stop there last year that led to nothing but hardship… But, there has been alcohol consumed there over the lunch hour. I know this firsthand. I even have pictures on my phone if anybody would like to like to see them.”

Seymour went on to politely remind the public to pick up after themselves. “Our staff and our citizens try to make Meadow Lake a nice place to live, but you drive out there (Lions Park) and there’s garbage all over the place – I’m tired of it,” he said. “I’m even debating whether or not to go see the principal at the high school because that’s where a majority of the vehicles come from. They’re kids, but it has to stop.” Councillor Conrad Read, while understanding of Seymour’s concerns, said he wouldn’t want to see access to the park closed off in winter primarily because people will drive there, sometimes from out-of-town, park their vehicles and then access the walking path. “There’s probably some of that, but the majority of vehicles in there each day are people going there to have their lunch,” Seymour said.