New Vancouver park board chair John Coupar’s focus over the next four years includes ensuring there's an “independent” park board.

According to the NPA park board commissioner, who was elected to the position of chair at the new board’s inaugural meeting on December 1, the lines between the city and the board have been “blurred a little bit” in the last decade.

“There’s been a lot of times in the history of our city where there has been disagreement between the city and park board, and often times, that disagreement has resulted in a much better result for citizens over time, and that’s the value I think of having an independent park board,” Coupar told the Straight by phone.

“So that’s something that I’m really aware of and want to make sure that we’re really strongly advocating for the responsibility to fall under the board of parks and recreation.”

Coupar cited the park board’s negotiation of a new operating agreement with local community centre associations as an example of lines being “blurred”.

“It appears there was a little too much top-down direction from city hall, as opposed to a park board generated solution, and I think that that is one of the reasons that it’s been so difficult to come to an agreement,” said Coupar. “Because the park board has a 60-year relationship with these community centres, and I think they’re the best body to deal with making it work.”

Repairing relationships with community centre associations is one of Coupar’s priorities for the upcoming term, he said, in addition to goals including fast-tracking construction of the Killarney seniors centre, improving park maintenance, and expanding the number of outdoor pools in the city.

Coupar also wants to fast-track live streaming of park board meetings, and hold the meetings in various locations in the city. The board’s first meeting took place at VanDusen Botanical Garden.

“That’s a tone that I would like to try and set, so that we have meetings at community centres in neighbourhoods across Vancouver for a percentage of our meetings, so that we can deal more closely with the issues that are affecting people…right where they live,” he stated.

Coupar takes over as chair of the NPA-dominated park board after being reelected to a second term. His father, Charles Coupar, was a horticulturalist with the park board for 42 years.

New NPA park board commissioner Sarah Kirby-Yung has been elected vice-chair of the board.

The board also includes the NPA's Casey Crawford and Erin Shum, Green commissioners Stuart Mackinnon and Michael Wiebe, and new Vision Vancouver commissioner Catherine Evans.