7 News Belize

A Park For And By The Community
posted (August 31, 2017)
The name Charlie Burton may not ring a bell for most of us, but for kids on Gibnut Street it sure does. That's the name of a newly constructed park in the neighborhood. The children who once played on the street now have their own safe haven right across the street from their home. But the real story is how a community transformed an abandoned lot into an open space:...

Sahar Vasquez reporting
On Gibnut street a once overgrown lot that resembled a garbage dump has been transformed into a children's park. The vision behind this growing project came from area resident G. Micheal Reid. Before the lot was cleaned up it looked like an impossible task, but Reid was inspired. After years of seeing kids play on the street where cars go up and down he decided that it was time for a change on little Gibnut street.

G. Michael Reid, Park Founder
"This property was here for decades not touched, nobody cut it, nobody did anything with it. It was a swamp. So you know it was the just good use of a place that was not being used."

Sahar Vasquez, reporter
"What benefit do you think this now has on the children to have this park in their neighborhood that they can come to play with each other?"

G. Michael Reid
"I think it's going to develop camaraderie, friendships, we all were young. We all know what it's like to have a place to go and play and have fun with your friends. It's just a joy to hear them having fun and playing and knowing that they are not on the street. They have somewhere where they can come and play."

Reid is the mastermind behind this project, but he did not do it alone. Quite a few jumped on the bandwagon and assisted. He told us about of a few of the many moving parts that helped bring this dream to life.

G. Michael Reid
"I approached Chester Williams who is the real catalyst of this project."

"He was relentless, he was tireless. He went he approached everybody and then Cisco came on board. Francis Woods from Cisco construction He brought his equipment. He pushed it down. Then we finally got the mayor out. He looked at it and decided that it is a good idea and he gave us his blessing and from there we went along soliciting funds and help from other people."

This park is now used by children and young adults. They use the park as much as they can and seem to enjoy it immensely because the space offers them freedom to move in a familiar environment. The majority of the children that play here are from this neighborhood but some are not and they make a long trek just play at this special place.

Sahar Vasquez, reporter
"How do you feel about this new park in your neighborhood?"

Xavier Harris
"I don't live here, I live at 8 miles but I come here and I love it."

Sahar Vasquez
"What do you like the most about being at this park?"

Xavier Harris
"Playing basketball, swinging on the swings, and ride."

Sahar Vasquez
"How often do you come to this park?"

Darrel Estrada
"Every evening since school started but during the weekend on Saturday and Sundays during the evening."

Sahar Vasquez
"How do you feel about this new park here?"

Darrel Estrada
"I feel good. It's a wonderful thing for the kids, because the kids usually busy and so their parents don't let them go far away from their home,"

G. Michael Reid
"This is just something for the kids to have a place to play and to just exert some energy and I think it's something that needs to be done particular in this area. This is Southside as deep as it gets and this is happening."

Now, you may be wondering who the namesake Charlie Burton is. Well, the late Burton was lifetime employee of the city council and the owner of the land. G. Mike took it over years after. Reid says he hopes to get more donations to continue building the park. If you are interested you can call him at 615-6436.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize