Kappara residents fume over alleged garden turned playground

A number of Kappara residents and the Kappara Residents' Voluntary Action Group are calling on government to stop the 'unofficial embellishment of a public garden' which is being turned into a playground.

The residents claim that parts of the garden, Gnien Giuseppe Maria Camilleri, has been painted in "carnivalesque" colours thus "attracting children of all ages" when Kappara is "a quiet residential area" where the majority of residents are elderly.

When asked about the association's claims, an adamant Frank Bartolo, chairman of the Kappara Administrative Committee, said: "This is a public space and can be used by children as well. The hamlet of Kappara should not be turned into a geriatric hamlet as the complaining residents seem to want."

The residents claimed that they were not consulted over the matter.  Furthermore, when the Administrative Committee called a meeting some years ago with the agenda "Kappara", residents present were not allowed to have their voices heard.

An association spokesman said that the garden has been left in a state of disarray with dying trees and neglected plants, while the colours used to paint the ground are an eyesore.

"Besides, the garden was also being frequented by drug addicts, and drunken youths before and after flocking to Paceville. This garden has been unofficially turned into a playground during the day and a place for drug use at night.  Other residents have witnessed indecent behaviour inside the garden," the spokesman claimed.

"We are used to living in a serene environment but the Administrative Committee painted the steps in bright colours and also marked boxes for children to play hopscotch on without getting the relevant permits beforehand and ignoring the residents' concerns".

Hopscotch (a children's game known as "Il-Passju" in the olden days) still remainsa popular playground game for children to this day.

The association and other residents are calling for the resignation of the Kappara Administrative Committee for blatantly ignoring their concerns after several attempts made to them and to the Prime Minister "fell on deaf ears".

According to the residents, when they requested the minutes of the Committee meeting when these works were approved, they were informed by the Executive Secretary of the committee that he was unable to give out the minutes since they hadn't been approved yet. The residents claim that the committee was also unwilling to give any relevant documentation or information.

Bartolo said such works were approved at the last Committee meeting held on 21 August when it was also agreed that works start immediately. "The minutes of that meeting will be approved during this month's meeting and unapproved minutes and relative documentation cannot be circulated to non-members of the Committee prior to their approval," Bartolo said.

Bartolo insisted that over the last two years a lot of work was carried out by the Administrative Committee in the interests of Kappara residents. Kappara is a much cleaner residential area than it was two years ago.  One of the latest initiatives was to send letters to residents whose trees/bushes in their front gardens hinder the free passageway of pedestrians and / or litter the streets, requesting them politely to trim their trees.

Meanwhile, when asked about the state of the public garden and if the Committee had the relevant permits in hand to execute such jobs and change the face of the garden, Bartolo said that all the Committee was doing is "bringing some life to the area and no permits are required for such works. We are a law-abiding committee and follow all rules and regulations accordingly".

"According to law, residents can attend the monthly meetings of an Administrative Committee (or Local Council) but cannot intervene during the proceedings; however can discuss matters before or after the official meeting," Bartolo said.

Bartolo pointed out that the fact that a policeman on 24-hour duty outside the Russian Embassy opposite the garden is a deterrent to "suspicious activity" which the association claims to have witnessed.

Regarding the urgent need to replace dead and vandalised trees in the public garden, Bartolo said that this was the responsibility of Environmental Landscape Consortium (ELC) who is contracted for such works by the Council. However, the state of the garden is being looked into by the ELC after the current works are completed.

Dr Bartolo told MaltaToday that one of the residents, who forms part of the residents' association requested that Sliema Road be barred from ambulances using sirens because the sound was disturbing him. "Since Sliema Road, is far from his residence, would he now request that ambulances are not allowed entry into Kappara proper?" asked Dr Bartolo.

The resident declared that even Bartolo and his wife had complained about the noise of the sirens which allegation was strongly denied by Dr Bartolo.  According to the resident, even the fixed-point policemen next to his house and right opposite the public garden had remarked about the noise of the sirens. Dr Bartolo politely, yet sarcastically, asked why the policeman would pass such an unreasonable and senseless remark. The same association also expressed their concern over Chiswick House School situated in Kappara and what they referred to as "the wrong place to host a school". They claim that the school, that many years ago was originally meant to house 25 (in fact 40) students, today houses over 800.They wrote to the Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi, the leader of the Opposition Dr Joseph Muscat and to the European Commission's President Jose' Manuel Barroso, amongst many others, regarding the issue.

When the school was set up, Bartolo formed part of the then, now defunct, residents' association and claimed not to have agreed with the idea of a school built in the area either. However, Bartolo said that one couldn't expect the Prime Minister to now close down a school that hosts over 800 students. "What's done is done," he said. Bartolo added that "the association has made the road and the public space in question their fief".

Meanwhile, the residents said that if necessary, they will take the matter to court to safeguard their rights and interests.