Public commentators ask parks board to mark Rooster Park opening and praise city forestry for tree giveaway

During the public-comment period of the April 1 meeting, two residents addressed the board about upcoming events and recent collaboration with parks staff.

Marjorie Fleming, who gave her address for the record, urged the board to include representations of “four-legged heroes” — including law enforcement K-9 units, search-and-rescue and military working dogs — at Rooster Park’s ribbon-cutting event and suggested fundraising possibilities and a small statue to recognize animal-service roles. “I would like to address…that we invite to the ribbon cutting all the four-legged heroes in our community from law enforcement, police and sheriffs…other rescue units and the military, so they can also be represented at this event,” Fleming said.

Elizabeth Bishop spoke for ICT Trees Inc., thanking the parks forestry division for assistance during a free-tree distribution event. Bishop said forestry staff provided staging and delivery help, and singled out crew members and a staffer who aided Spanish-speaking attendees. She said the event provided a free tree plus a bag of mulch and that the organization plans improvements for future distributions, including thoroughly checking a dashboard used to manage requests and sourcing more trees locally. “The crew from the forestry division was absolutely crucial in helping providing a brief staging area for the free trees,” Bishop said.

Board members thanked the speakers and suggested the parks foundation could be a fundraising partner for Rooster Park events. No formal action was taken during public comment.