A neighbourhood once dubbed "Red Square" by some politicos has been home to more than its fair share of activists through the decades.
Through the years, the Moody Park neighbourhood has been home to city councillors, MLAs and school trustees - as well as more than a few community activists and rabble-rousers. In addition to union offices on 12th Street, the neighbourhood is home to Shiloh-Sixth Avenue United Church, which provides space to the food bank and the Hospitality Project (a local resources that offers variety of services to food bank clients and the community).
Coun. Bill Harper, who has lived in the Moody Park neighbourhood since 1979, said the polling station within the area once had a name that reflect its historically left-leaning voting patterns.
"This area traditionally over time, if you look at the voting patterns, it was called Red Square by some of the activists," he said. "It goes back 50 years to the CCF."
With its plethora of activists and civic-minded folks, it should have come as no surprise when area residents reacted - strongly - to the city's decision to close the beloved Kiwanis Pool in 2006. Residents quickly assembled and launched the Save Our Pool - Just Fix it for the Kids campaign.
On a warm spring night in May 2006, more than 150 residents - including children clad in bathing suits - packed city hall to urge council to OK the repairs needed so the pool could open for the summer. As luck would have it, a neighbourhood resident had the expertise and time to assess the pool and make the repairs needed to ensure the pool could open for the summer - a move supported by council.
Although some community members and councillors questioned the wisdom of spending $5 million on an outdoor pool that only opens for a couple months each year, the city approved funding for a new pool.
Christopher Bell, a former president of the Moody Park Residents' Association, was one of the leaders of the Save Our Pool - Just Fix it for the Kids campaign. Bell loves watching kids and families walk though the neighbourhood en route to the pool that opened in July 2009.
"It is like a symphony of happiness all day long," he said of the atmosphere at the pool. "It is a beautifully used little park."
While the pool debate has been resolved, some citywide issues focused in the Moody Park neighbourhood await resolution - the long overdue replacement of the aging New Westminster Secondary School and the replacement of Massey Theatre.
Locally, the Moody Park Residents' Association (and its predecessor, the Kelvin Residents' Association) has tackled a variety of issues.
"It seems that when there is a big issue that is going to affect us, people come out," said Andrew Baker, who has been the group's president for the past few years.
The group has a pretty impressive track record of getting the city to address a range of neighbourhood issues including prostitution on 12th Street, replacement of the Kiwanis Pool, aging sewers that left some area basements flooded and a proposed liquor store on 12th Street.
