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Residents urge help for unhoused elders and more police; cooling centers and housing options suggested
Summary
During public comment at the June 2 meeting, residents asked the council to find housing solutions for older unhoused women, suggested repurposing a former nursing-home site as temporary housing or a shelter, called for cooling centers during extreme heat, and urged the city to prioritize police hiring amid local safety incidents.
Several residents used the council's public-comment period on June 2 to press the city for immediate, local responses to homelessness and public-safety concerns.
Barbara Sundust, a resident who identified her address and said she volunteers with Laundry Love, described elderly women living in cars and urged the city to pursue tangible options. "These people are being shoved out and no place to go," Sundust said. She suggested Pavilion Place, a former nursing-home building she believes to be vacant, as a possible location to house people in the short term and asked the city to pursue partnerships or arrangements if the building is available.
Nut Graf: Speakers asked the city for concrete steps to help unhoused residents — particularly older women who lack stable shelter — and suggested a cooling center and other immediate supports while longer-term solutions are worked out.
Another resident, Nat Smith, praised the city's aquatics programming but said the pool appeared overcrowded and encouraged long-term planning. He also recommended the council consider advanced wastewater treatment options such as ultraviolet disinfection and noted an industry presence on Peters Road that might be relevant to future planning.
Bridal Wertman, a nearby resident, called for the city to prioritize police staffing before large capital spending such as a new pool or sports complex. Wertman cited recent incidents including people shooting at each other and gunfire near a park. "Please find a way before you spend 40,000,000 on a pool or 30,000,000 on a softball field. Invest in our law enforcement," she said, adding, "I don't like being here and talking to you guys. This is not my comfort zone. This is not what I wanna be doing on a Monday afternoon, but I feel like it's important."
Ending: City staff and council did not take action on public comments at the meeting; a staff member offered to follow up with the speaker about existing efforts and services.
