he was pleased with a pre-Cup Match meeting on future plans for Hog Bay Park, despite a small turnout.

About a dozen area residents, some with their children, turned up last Wednesday night for the meeting at the park which Mr. Gauntlett admitted was "poorly timed''.

But the surveyor, who along with businessman Mr. Ralph Richardson is hoping to oust Sandys South incumbents Mr. Walter Lister and Walter Roberts from the Progressive Labour Party stronghold, said the meeting was productive.

Mr. Gauntlett said a number of good suggestions came out of the meeting, which was also attended by Mr. Richardson and Parks planner Mr. Jim Davis, including: constructing a playground near the Patience Avenue entrance to the 38-acre national park (to prevent area residents' children from playing on the main road as some do now); incorporating a pond in the park to encourage more birds to visit the area; ensuring dog walkers keep dogs on a leash; and ensuring walking trails are regularly cleared.

Mr. Gauntlett said residents were hopeful that the bulk of the litter problem, which plagued the area until July 11 when a clean-up led by himself and Mr.

Richardson and involving more than 100 people took place, is over.

"Parents were very encouraged, very enthusiastic,'' he said. "We were pleased with how it went.'' Mr. Gauntlett said further public meetings will be held before the park plan is finalised.

He said: "We are hopeful that a very broad cross-section of the community'' will attend the next meeting which is expected to be held sometime next month.

Mr. Davis, who presented preliminary plans for the park at the meeting, said final plans are unlikely to be completed until late autumn.

"We are really just starting to undertake the long task of site analysis,'' he said.

But Mr. Davis also said public meetings, like the "really productive'' one held last Wednesday, allow Government to gain a better insight into what the public wants.

Mr. Ralph Richardson.