My Annual Failing Grade Assigned to The City of Calgary Recreation Facilities

Recently I have been inundated by companies wanting to know how they are doing, with products and services. For free. So I ask them for samples or cash for a review as it’s work and I like to get paid for work. I save my volunteering for non-profits, and often they hire me to teach classes or design systems.

The one exception I make every year is the City of Calgary Recreation. I annually send my review. I am very pleased with the equipment, generally.

But I have to get to the equipment. From the handicapped parking. In winter. I use a cane. I used to use a walker and before that, I used a wheelchair. I drive but before that, it was taxis and handicapped buses.

I own a business, Blackstock Art&Design. I am a designer first and foremost, by nature and temperament, and I completed 6 years of Fine Art education because it satisfies me to do so.

So first, let's talk about the design of the handicapped access, in winter, at the Killarney facility. Rating 2/10. The parking stalls are close to the building access so that’s why the get 2 instead of 0. The employees who shovel the walks shovel the snow into the handicapped parking. The snow when it melts from the roof flows across the sidewalk, and into the handicapped parking. So now you have ice on the sidewalk and in the parking stalls, every time the sun shines because water freezes. Salt, gravel, changing the flow of the runoff, clearing the lot to make it accessible are costs. They would rather have handicapped people fall. Conclusion based on evidence.

Thorncliff is the same, without the runoff issue.

Canyon Meadows is worse, they have added a hill to the mix. They do have a door near the parking lot but they lock it shut.

Bob Bahan has 2 spots. A never-used basketball facility takes priority. The south side of the building could easily be used, but it would take some money to bring it up to code. You can park in the handicapped zone on the street with its inherent risks of getting sideswiped and a long traverse in the wind gusts on snow and ice of poorly cleared walks. Again, no salt and gravel.

The Renfrew facility puts the handicapped in a parking lot a block away. I suggested moving it to the front door and the protest was that they need that space for buses full of people capable of walking a block.

The city facilities have signified their virtue by prominently displaying a handicapped sign. Then ignored the handicapped as being too expensive to ensure that their safety responsibilities are met.

I mean it must be the cost factor because no one is this unempathetic and simply moronic are they?