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Aldermen introduce ordinance to regulate metal detecting in city parks
Summary
Council put forward an amendment to the Ozark City Code to regulate metal detecting and prospecting in city parks, citing safety, protection of artifacts and underground utilities; the bill was placed on first reading and held for a future meeting.
The Board of Aldermen placed on first reading an ordinance (bill 3654) amending Chapter 120 (Parks and Recreation) to regulate metal detecting and prospecting in Ozark parks.
Hayden Ponser, Ozark parks director, said the proposed code change aims to manage liability and protect park land and artifacts. He said a recurring problem is hobbyists who dig to remove metal objects, sometimes leaving holes that are “a tripping hazard” and that staff do not always know the location of underground utilities in parks such as Findlay River Park.
Nut graf: The ordinance would allow the parks director to regulate metal detecting activities, require artifacts found under certain conditions to remain with the city and create a process for safe, permitted detecting if the director grants permission.
Ponser described Garrison Springs as a park with decades of local history and said the ordinance would help protect historically significant items for public display: “Those artifacts must remain a part of the city of Ozark. Those are are things that that should be able to be seen in a museum, whether that's in the nature center at Garrison Springs or if we work with local partners to ensure that it's, displayed and shared in a controlled way.”
Board action: Aldermen placed bill 3654 on first reading by title and description only; the measure will be held over to a future meeting. No public speakers opposed the metal-detecting ordinance during the first-reading public comment period.
Ending: Staff said the ordinance is intended to reduce safety risks, protect city property and preserve historical artifacts; the board will consider the measure again after additional review and potential revisions.
