Kensington Bans Kids over 5 from Reinhart Park

Question: When is a public park not really for the public?

Answer: When that park is in the town of Kensington, MD.

I was alerted by email about a little controversy that is brewing over in the neighboring suburb of Kensington. Because I’m an outspoken supporter of both parks and recess for all children, this story really grabbed me. Seems the town council has officially banned anyone over the age of five from using the playground at Reinhart Park, which has the playground next to the Safeway, during midday hours from 9am -4pm Monday through Friday.

Now why on earth would any self respecting town council do such a thing, unless they are they ran that creepy fictional town from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang??? (Remember, the town where Dick Van Dyke drives up in his old beaten up noisy car and finds that all the kids were put into an underground dungeon?)

To get one version of the story, you can visit this Channel 7 news clip:

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1009/664957_video.html?ref=newsstory

I think this entire thing seems fishy. In addition to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, I’m reminded of the sheriffs in the old wild west movies who would only give protection to those store owners that paid extra money each month…


I’ve been around that park during the day, and I’ve seen those girls playing. They are always well supervised by teams of teachers, and always polite to other visitors that come to the park. In fact, I use that park about once a week and I have never seen any real damage that would cause undo expense, such as broken swings, graffiti, or the like. It seems much cleaner, actually, than a lot of county parks because it is usually free from litter.

I also tend to think that having a really well run school like Brookewood in the middle of town is a real asset. I wouldn't go doing things (if I was on the town council I mean) to chase them off.

Meanwhile, if I worked for the Brookewood School, I’d be calling around and asking about county policies regarding park use by other schools. (I have a feeling those law supersede any Kensington Town Council votes.) I’d be finding out if there are laws governing open park usage and public space accommodations. (I know for a fact that several of the nearby county public schools use the county public parks and fields quite actively for recess and gym all day long. I am not aware of any extra fees imposed for such a use. This includes some schools within just a few miles of this school and this park.)

Furthermore, I’d be out at that park taking surveys of all the families that come every week. I’d ask those parents what they think of this new restriction.

Oh and one final thing: if this was some big scheme dreamed up by the Kensington town council as a way of making their little burg seem really unwelcoming to families, it sure is working!