We said that City parks were the main topics of conversation at Monday’s Carroll City Council meeting. In addition to the city getting more information on Kellan’s Kingdom and the proposed Miracle League baseball/softball field, the council was also asked to consider a change to the closing times of parks throughout the city. Parks and Recreation Director, Jack Wardell, says he and Chief of Police, Brad Burke, were approached by a group of citizens about six or eight weeks ago regarding issues in some of the parks, particularly Northeast Park. Those officials asked that the citizens bring their concerns to the Parks and Recreation Board. That board has now brought forth a recommendation on a seven to zero vote to change the city ordinance. Currently, all parks close at midnight and reopen at 6 a.m., except for instances approved by special permission of the council. Wardell describes what the Parks and Rec Board is recommending.
Wardell says in his 13 years as director, this is really the first complaint about hours he has received. He researched five or six different cities and found 11 p.m. was the most common, with the earliest closing at 9:30 p.m. Mayor, Dr. Eric Jensen, says these hours have been in place for many years and asked Chief Burke what concerns have been raised to bring about this recommendation. Burke says some have been addressed, but other problems are ongoing.
A resident whose property abuts Northeast Park, Jeff Cayler, explained to the council exactly what he and his neighbors have been experiencing.
There is also a lack of lighting, with only one light in the parking lot and a shelter house light that gets shut off in November. It is pitch black in the 10-acre park, making it impossible to identify anything even 75 feet away. Not only would this result in injuries, it is also an attractive location for criminal activity. Jenson says he knew that the Kellan’s Kingdom and Miracle League discussion was going to take place at that meeting and thought that if one of those was located in the park, it would result in a lot more activity and more lighting. The addition of a trail segment there in the future would also work to make it less attractive to the criminal element. He says he would hate to change the ordinances without exploring some of these other options. Council member, Misty Boes, also voiced her concerns.
In the end, the council agreed that they would like to look at incorporating other types of deterrents and then bring the topic back in three months for review; keeping it at the forefront to work toward a solution to the problem.
