Hamlin Park
In 1908, residents of the area petitioned for a new a park in the area. In 1910, they built Hamlin Park which was named after Hannibal Hamlin, who was Abraham Lincoln’s Vice President. Currently, the park offers a large variety of facilities available for use such as a pool, several basketball courts, gyms, tennis courts and baseball fields.
Many of the residents in the neighborhood value this park very much. According to Yelp reviews, one of the most popular facilities in Hamlin is the pool that they offer. As one reviewer explains, “This is almost like a private pool for the people of the neighborhood. Free, safe, and with a lot of chairs for sunbathers. Great spot. Back in the day when I used to visit this area this park was run down (1990s) but now it is perhaps a model park for people interested in seeing how a city park can be transformed. Now, that all of the low income residents of the Lathrop Homes have been pushed out of the area there is not a lot of diversity here with the cost of homes in this area topping $800,000 (I remember when they were $180,000) but this rich new neighborhood base means that the city has put out chairs, and keeps this place up like a hotel pool. No there are not massages and spa treatments, but this is perhaps the best pool in the city and it is FREE. Bring a towel, a book, your sunglasses, and spend a day at a really nice pool.” The person in this particular review is saying that now that the houses are increasing in price, more wealthy people are moving in here, and the area around it is improving vastly. This person says that the neighborhood is rich and all the low-income families have been pushed out. He goes on to say that because of the rich residents moving in, the park has gradually been getting better. Some reviews also say that they have recently moved back into the area because it has gotten much better and that the park and its facilities are nicer and better. So as you can see, the residence value Hamlin Park, but it is not like that for everyone. Now, because of change in the area, the park seems to see the students at Alcott as disrespectful young teenagers and do not want to offer their services to our school for fear of us ruining their park. Many people, including students from Alcott, go to Hamlin Park for their gyms and basketball courts to practice their sports (which include volleyball or basketball) or just use it as a place to hang out, which is one of the reasons this particular site is considered a youth site. Before, Alcott students were comfortable to go inside to play in the gym but now we only tend to stay outside. Students only go inside the field house when the gym is available, which is hardly ever. Our school now has to find new locations for all the school functions and games since they claim their gym is “not available”. Alcott is only 6th place on Hamlin’s priority list and is not allowed to use the facilities even when they are not being used. This started happening after an incident when Alcott and Ogden students fought in Hamlin. However, Alcott paid Hamlin for all the damages, but our connection with Hamlin has not been the same. Also, when Alcott students or faculty try to come in contact with Hamlin Park they choose not to listen to what we have to say or ask. For example, when one of us tried to interview the workers they looked the other way and were “busy". If the park did not exist, students and residents would lose a place to hang out and blow off steam as well as a popular place to play various sports. But at this point, it seems that Alcott has little to no relationship with Hamlin at all. Hamlin Park has plenty of things to offer to the school, but we are not allowed to take apart of them. Alcott students try to take full advantage of every opportunity they have to offer, but the connection between the two has not increased. Since we cannot use their facilities, Alcott has to travel miles to have a home game for some of our sports even though there is open space right across the street. And now, students of Alcott probably won't have a home gym to play their games since the Boys and Girls Club that we use might be closing soon. If this happens, then what? Alcott students would have to travel further to play home games, which begin to feel not much like home. If the Boys and Girls Club closes down soon, it would definitely be a bad thing. For one, Hamlin park would be the place to accommodate for the loss of activity space which may cause it to become more crowded. Therefore, the park would have even more of a reason to not allow Alcott to use the facility, because they would be even more busy and they could say that there isn't space for us to use their facilities. Unfortunately, if the Boys and Girls Club were to close, Hamlin would be the place to go. |
AuthorsCletis, Aleks,
Vianca |