Meadow Springs residents urge stricter hours at Clay Bell Park after recent gunshot disturbance

Laurie and Dave Bowers, Meadow Springs residents whose property backs Clay Bell Park, told the commission during public comment on May 8 that recent late-night gunshot noise and evening congregations at the park prompted them to ask the city to tighten the park's hours.

The Bowers cited the city ordinance language that makes city parks available from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. unless a more restrictive period is posted, and noted that a parking-lot sign on site reads 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. They asked the commission to align the park hours with the parking-lot hours and to consider using a gate to enforce the restriction.

Why it matters: Neighbors said evening gatherings have disturbed sleep and that prior attempts to deter late-night activity (a temporary cord or gate) reduced the incidents when in place. They asked staff to consider removing the later hours or otherwise reducing activity after dusk.

Commission discussion and staff response: Commissioners took the comment and asked staff for clarification. Parks staff explained at the commission comment portion that a prior gate had been removed because it created a potential access disparity: the accessible parking stalls would have been behind a locked gate, effectively denying access to people with mobility needs after the gate closed. Director Waite said the gate solution also raised safety concerns because the installed gate was not highly visible and could create a collision hazard; she said staff will remove the outdated parking-lot sign so posted hours are consistent and noted that staff will bring park-hour policy considerations to a future workshop.

Ending: Commissioners expressed support for revisiting park-hour policy in a workshop so staff can outline the legal process, accessibility concerns and enforcement options. The Bowers said they appreciated the commission's attention to the matter.