Public comments urge city help with food‑pantry anniversary events and canal safety near Russell Swinson Park

Several members of the public used the council’s comment period Tuesday to ask staff to work with community groups on outreach and safety.

Wendy Osborne, representing Tabitha’s Way Local Food Pantry, asked the council to help promote the pantry’s 15th anniversary and to permit community displays and banners at city facilities and events. Osborne said the nonprofit plans a month of activities and a June 26 block party aimed at collecting 15,000 pounds of food and 1,500 pledges. “We respectfully ask the city council for support and to help promote this meaningful milestone,” she said. Council staff said they would coordinate with Tabitha’s Way regarding signage and existing ordinances.

Another resident, Joey Stanley, asked the council to consider fencing a canal along Russell Swinson Park after recounting how a young child died in a canal in a different part of the city. Council members said staff would follow up: Parks and Recreation director Dale Robinson asked for the resident’s contact information and told him the canal may not be city‑owned, which affects the legal ability to install fencing. "My understanding is that the canal is not owned by the city and so that adds additional complexity to it," a city official said, and staff committed to investigating ownership and options.

Other public comments included neighborhood requests about sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and the location of the farmers market; a resident urged improvements to pedestrian connections along Spanish Fork Parkway to reduce people walking in dirt paths between destinations.