Bring Back Free Community to Our Community Parks!

For quite some time, the parks within Warwick were free and open to all. They offered a place of community building, leisure, activity, and quality time with family and friends. Until recently the city started to charge $5.00 per vehicle to enter or $20 for a season pass. Out-of-towners must pay $40 for a season pass. One could argue that $20 is not a lot, but it boils down to a class/economic issue. What may be someone's leisure money could be another's bill money. Never underestimate the amount of money because circumstances are unique. 


(Oakland Beach. Photo credit.)

The argument for charging fees is that it allows Warwick residents to enjoy the parks without 'out-of-towners' overcrowding them. The fees allow for park management and cleanup. Charging for city parks is absurd because it limits who can use them and how often. It limits many of the benefits of city parks. City parks are cherished for community building and creating a safe spot for quality time. These parks give our students a space for recreation in a city with limited activities. Surely one could walk into a park for free, but not everyone is blessed with close proximity. 


(Warwick City Park/Buttonwoods Beach. Photo credit.)

(Conimicut Point Park. Photo credit.)

Sometimes our youth feel stuck in using their voices in fear their voices may not be taken seriously or heard. As teachers, it is our job to give them opportunities within the curriculum to use their voices. Students will read through the article "Benefits of Parks in Your Community" and pick a few points that resonate with them as well as think of a few of their own. What makes these parks special to you? What is your personal connection to this issue? If this issue does not directly affect you, can you see ways it harms others in your community? 

Letters are the first steps in reaching our community leaders. Students will write their personal letters including why they personally believe charging for community parks is wrong and ultimately be allowed the choice in sending them. 

A 'small' charge may not seem like a large issue to many, but limiting who can enjoy these areas can harm the community that use to enjoy them. Parks should forever be cherished as bonding spots and that means allowing equal access to all. 


Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2021 at 12:38 PM

    Hey Alexandra, I like that you chose to write about an issue involving your local parks, I did the same! I agree that parks are special places where people can gather and experience the benefits of being outside in nature. I also agree that it is ridiculous to charge residents to use the parks within their own city. As a part of your hypothetical lesson, I wonder if your students could look into how parks are funded by the city and why they still require the funding by each resident who chooses to go there. Also, would you want to maybe relate this issue to other issues of unequal access that your students may be experiencing?

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    Replies
    1. Alexandra RitaccoSeptember 20, 2021 at 7:23 PM

      Hello, Morgan! I love your idea about researching how parks are funded. I think community lessons like these are great for many reasons. Firstly, students are learning to become actively involved in their community. Secondly, they are practicing their research skills.

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  2. TimSeptember 16, 2021 at 5:46 PM

    A similar thing is happening in North Providence with Governor Notte Park where residents are charged to park their cars to use the beach and whatever else there is to do there. I thought that it was awfully expensive to go (like $40 a car almost) so I never went. However, I will say that the town has decided to revamp areas of that park so that it creates a better guest experience. From the article you linked from wpri12, the price for out of towners increased because there have been “problems over the last few years,” and, “Residents being squeezed out by out-of-towners, who are coming down in droves now.” To share a similar experience, the town pool that I work at has the same pricing scheme as Oakland Beach, but they went the additional step of requiring a membership to use the facilities. There used to be a cheap $5 day pass to access the pool but was done away with for the same reasons cited above. I think that the end goal for Oakland Beach is to price out people that they deem “undesirable” (i.e., people they deem likely to damage facilities which would cost them money to repair).

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    Replies
    1. Alexandra RitaccoSeptember 20, 2021 at 7:20 PM

      Hello, Tim. Thank you for your reply. I definitely understand your point and can see the incentive to charge. That being said, I think residents should not have to pay seeing as it is our parks. Aside from that, I don't think they're worth paying for. It is sad as they are nice areas, but they don't warrent a charge.

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