Hi Brit Neighbours,

The Dusty Flowerpot people whose Halloween event two years ago caused the whole Greenway to be trampled … just allowed it to happen again!

Ellen, the Arts & Culture programmer at Britannia, says that she had instructed the event organizers (Dusty Flowerpot) to keep the crowds out of the Greenway and to make sure they stayed down on the paved area in the Britannia courtyard (outside of the library and the info centre). 

When Steve and I went down to see what was happening at about 9:30 tonight, there were literally hundreds of people in the Greenway, walking/standing all over the planted beds.

Anyone who wants to use the Napier Greenway for an event or activity needs to apply to the City for a permit. No one applied for a permit. Brit Neighbours is generally notified if someone has applied for a permit to use the Greenway. The Greenway is never an appropriate venue for an after-dark event because the participants can’t see what they’re stepping on.

Grandview Park was essentially empty tonight and is a big flat greenspace that really works for a crowd. The Greenway doesn’t. In the dark, the plants all get trampled.

Steve and I think that from now on, for any Dusty Flowerpot Halloween event, the garden areas in the Greenway should be fenced off with construction fencing … and the fence rental and installation/removal should be paid for by the event organization (Dusty Flowerpot).

We’ll go down and check out the damage tomorrow in the daylight.

We’re really disappointed and angry. This has happened before (in 2014) and Dusty Flowerpot apologized and swore that it would never happen again.

I’ll report tomorrow on specifically how much damage was done.

Penny