Residents urge city to address public-safety and sanitation in parks; mayor says Kesterson Park covered by injunction

During general public comment at the Grants Pass City Council meeting on July 2, residents raised concerns about drug paraphernalia, sanitation and safety at city parks and asked for stronger enforcement and cleanup.

Dale Aldridge, a city resident, described incidents of power outages at a recent “kids in the park” event, difficulty getting on-call response, and discovery of needles and drug-related litter on park grounds. He asked the city to address cleanliness and drug activity to make parks safer for families. Mike Pelfrey, another resident, used the term “feral” to describe people he said were living in public spaces and said litter and “nests” of refuse suggest a broader public-health problem; he told the council the city must clean the parks and better manage drug activity.

In response to a council question about Kesterson Park (a pocket park near the city entrance), the mayor said Kesterson Park is included in a temporary injunction and that city enforcement of no-camping regulations in that park is constrained by that court order. City staff reiterated that park-cleanup and enforcement actions are limited where injunctions are in effect. Councilors and staff also noted recent community events successfully operating in parks and commended volunteers who organized family activities.