Dart Park needs to be spruced up
I would like to know who is responsible for the upkeep of Dart Park on South Sound. When it was opened there was grass, there is now none, just a dust bowl in the dry season or a large muddy patch when it rains. When visited over the New Year, the amphitheatre was littered with broken glass. The pathways are overgrown. It is now not such a lovely place to visit and it really is a gem. Is the park maintained by the National Trust, Dart or the Cayman Islands Government? It is in dire need of help to return to its former glory.
Auntie’s answer: I really appreciate this question. I remember when the Dart Family Park opened in 2005 and have spent time over the years with my kids, enjoying the grass, the playground equipment and the fantastic view, as well as attending various events held there. It has been renovated once, five years ago; I am sorry to hear that it seems to have fallen into disrepair.
The park is one of more than 100 facilities, including other parks and public beaches, which fall under the responsibility of the Recreation, Parks & Cemeteries Unit (RPCU). In the interest of providing as much information as possible, the unit is under the Public Works Department which is part of the remit of the Ministry of Planning, Lands, Agriculture, Housing & Infrastructure.
The good news for you, however, is that you don’t have to go through that whole chain of bureaucracy to get some answers. The RPCU has a procedure in place for complaints, which it describes as “an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the Recreation, Parks & Cemeteries Unit or its staff affecting a member or members of the public”.
It sounds like your issue falls smack in the middle of that definition. To register a complaint, here is the link to the relevant page on the RPCU website. You can also call the unit at 946-8250.
I would be very interested in hearing what the response is to your complaint and what actions are taken. Please let me know.
Category: Ask Auntie
Government/ PWD/ RCPU do not maintain dart parks. Dart have contracts with local companies to maintain the parks.
These are interesting arguments about this particular part. However, have so take a look at the other so called public parks on Grand Cayman Island? They are all in terrible disrepair. In fact if one looks closely, the entire island, other than private properties and the beaches, is pretty sad looking. Overgrown lots, abandoned cars and shipping containers abound and mostly worn out sidewalks and roadways severely neglected.
The problem is of a different character than any of you think. A small landscaping company has (or maybe HAD by now) the contract to upkeep the Park. A non-Caymanian working with the company was the one who did most; if not all, the work to beautify the Park each week. Unfortunately, due to the non-Caymanian not being treated “CaymanKind-ly”, he sought work elsewhere. Therefore, this leaves the Park to the Caymanian owner of the company to complete. Who knows if he has lost the contract by now and Government is trying to replace it. So, what Government really needs to be looking into is how companies are handling work permit payments (e.g. making the employee pay the fees which is illegal), employers deducting money from the employee for insurance that isn’t ever set up and inconsistent pay or sometimes no pay. This is the real story of how Dart Park has ended up in the “Ask Auntie” section. Us Caymanians gripe about foreign nationals coming in and taking our jobs. But hardly do we admit that it is the rare Caymanian that would put up with the treatment that many of our Caymanian owned companies dole out.
Very telling that the most current RPCU plan/director memo is from eight years ago:
http://www.gov.ky/portal/page/portal/rpuhome/what-we-do/plans
We need to remember in May that kleptocrat regimes are disinterested in the quality of life of anyone but themselves. #crooks
I am sure there would be nothing to prevent the poster and others from fundraising and volunteering to maintain/upkeep the park themselves. This is how a real difference can be made in communities rather than complaining, pointing fingers and expecting someone else to do it.
Yeah, that would work, but if someone is using the park maintenance budget to satisfy their Mercedes payments, shouldn’t that be of concern to everyone already paying for a service not delivered? #accountabilitymatters
Caymanians should take care of it instead of expecting others to do it or the Government I see it now some group of expats taking care of it shortly…
What’s the difference if it was a group of expats? How would you know it would be solely expats? Lots of different nationalities that are residents and status holders.
Plus majority of expats do use it as they live in the area. So would be fitting. Also fitting if the locals that use it, chip in some time/effort along with them. Someone just needs to jumpstart.
Though it is under the governments remit and they are ultimately responsible. Not any group of locals/expats. But the paid workers that have jobs to do this work.