Parksville council renewed the lease agreement for the caretaker’s house in Foster Park.
John Dennis receives a $200 a month break on rent in exchange for taking care of the house and small fenced yard, along with helping city crews keep the park tidy which he does on his morning dog walks.
He explained in the past that a big part of his job is just his presence in the quiet park, which he said is mostly used by locals while the tourists head to the beach.
He keeps an ear out for trouble, which is uncommon during the winter but once school is out he said there are frequent minor incidents on weekend nights.
“Usually all I have to do is stick my head out and yell at them to be quiet and they run away or they say ‘oh I’m very sorry,’” he said of the young people who sometimes get a bit noisy or rambunctious.
Council agreed to renew the lease agreement for a year with an option to extend another year.
