Hello,

I am starting this petition to discuss the recent closure of the basketball courts at St. Joseph's High School. As a former student of St. Joseph's. I have always enjoyed being able to play basketball at the courts, alongside many others since the school was first built in 2006. We have been spending our afternoons doing this for nearly 9 years and up until now there has never been a problem nor complaint.

There are now locks on the doors and a security guard making sure no body enters the courts. Also the school board telling us that we need to rent these grounds from here on out if we are to play at these courts. We am formulating this petition in efforts to reopen the basketball court to the community.

I have not seen any other basketball courts around the city being locked up like this. I think you could agree with me here that if someone were to rent out a space to play basketball, it would be a gymnasium. The school board has indicated to us that the soccer field at St. Joe's HS which is on the same property the basketball court is "rented". I have approached the friendly people that partake in soccer practices a couple times a week that have also been there for a few years to find out if they pay any kind of rental fee to use the track/ soccer field, and they stated that they did not.

The courts are small as it is, and do not even have proper netting on the rims. Only 1 out of 6 nets have mesh that we have personally put up, not the school board. All of us here at the courts have also maintained and respected the grounds and cleaned up all garbage. Making people pay for this court seems a bit extreme. Especially after so many years. We don't know what seems to be the problem. Many other guys alongside myself are only trying to live a healthy lifestyle by playing basketball somewhere near our homes, and feel this closure is discouraging this.

As most of us are former students of the school and residents of the area, we would like to continue to be able to play basketball where we always have. We now ask you of your time to please sign our petition so we can forward this to the school board in efforts of re-opening the courts to the community as it always has been.

We thank you in advance,

Fellas from the basketball courts at St. Joe's

Link: www.change.org/p/windsor-essex-catholic-district-school-board-wecdsb-re-open-basketball-courts-at-st-joseph-s-hs?recruiter=351182668&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_facebook_responsive&utm_term=des-lg-google-n