Springfield committee hears police reports of overcapacity, fights at Fun City; councilors push permit conditions and weekend police detail

Springfield City Economic Development Committee members on Thursday reviewed public-safety concerns at Fun City, a family entertainment facility in the Springfield Plaza, after police described multiple incidents linked to overcapacity and large fights.

The discussion followed reports from Officer Lee of the Springfield Police Department’s ordinance unit that on two recent nights — in February and March — officers faced “chaos” at the site when large fights broke out. “It took more than 12 officers and three supervisors to restore order” on one night, Officer Lee said, and officers counted “a sea of people” that overwhelmed on-site supervision and spilled into neighboring parking lots and businesses.

The police account and accounts from neighbors prompted City Councilor Mike Fenton and other committee members to propose new conditions on the venue’s special permit, including an approved safety plan, a lower occupancy cap and involvement from the fire department and law department. “I can’t think of a place in Springfield where we would have 800, very minimally supervised minors in one place at one time,” Fenton said, urging that the council discuss trimming the permitted occupancy well below the…