FIGHTING FOR A DRUG-FREE PARK

Henry Banic stretched his hands over the sign for Torosian Park and
pointed to the space where his preferred sign would go.

"I want to put a sign up that says 'drug-free park,' " Banic said.
"If the town won't do it, I'll even make one myself and put it up if
I have permission."

This is his vision for his St. Catharines neighbourhood.

Banic moved into the Ventura Drive Housing Co-op in September with
his common-law wife and two children. Banic, a longtime salesman at
The Brick, loved the idea of an urban setting next to a park with
trees and a playground. The park is so close he can jump his backyard
fence and be in it. It has a large swingset and a colourful jungle gym.

Then he noticed problems.

A neighbour told him of needles being found under one of the benches.
Banic found and picked up stubs of marijuana joints. He witnessed
people doing drugs, whom he told, "I know you're going to do your
thing, but maybe you should do it somewhere else."

Banic began to wonder what else was in the park - if there were pills
little kids could swallow, broken bottles that could cut a child's
feet, or other illegal activity so close he could see it from his
backyard. Banic is now, in his neighbourly way, doing things to combat it.

He sent away for materials from an American program called Drug-Free
Marshals, which educates kids about drugs, deputizes them with the
pledge not to do them and encourages them to get their friends
involved. His sons Josh, 7, and Noah, 6, have spread the word to most
of the kids in the 39-family co-op.

Banic and a couple of friends in the co-op have started to keep a
closer eye on the neighbourhood. Banic has walked through the park
with a trash bag, picking up garbage.

He is establishing a Neighbourhood Watch program, which has the
support of about 90 per cent of the families in the co-op, he said.
He has signed up most of Ventura Drive and he's working on outlying
streets. He has also arranged a presentation from Niagara Regional
Police's community services division.

"I want a whole area where everybody comes together," he said. "I
want this to be the start of a grassroots campaign."

Interested citizens such as Banic make neighbourhoods better, NRP
spokeswoman Const. Jacquie Forgerson said.

"If everyone pays that attention and says, 'This is my home, this is
my space,' it makes a difference," she said. "It's that eyes and ears
open thing that helps the community."