Hallandale Beach staff to survey property lines and add signage after debate over perimeter fencing at Joseph Scobble Park

City parks staff outlined options for a perimeter fence at Joseph Scobble Park and received direction May 7 to pursue immediate enforcement steps, obtain a property-line survey and return with placement recommendations rather than move forward with a full closed gate.

Kathy Shonstorff, director of Integration and Open Spaces, reviewed incident data showing higher after-hours calls for Scobble Park than similar city parks and described repeated problems: people sleeping in the park after hours, domestic yard waste and trimming debris left in the park, bicycles and minibikes ridden through park trails, and frequent off-leash dogs in playground areas. Shonstorff said staff has tried signage and temporary barriers and that the dog-facility fence will be upgraded from 4 to 6 feet as a separate procurement.

Staff presented fence options used elsewhere in the city (aluminum "picket"/Ascot styles, six-foot stockade, and black vinyl-coated chain link) and said the recommended approach is: - Confirm property lines with a GPS survey to identify utilities and any need for easements; staff said a survey is required before placement decisions are final. - Replace or upgrade the park-facing stockade fence and connect perimeter fencing where appropriate; use 6-foot fencing for the dog area. - Install clearer signs about closing hours and trespass, and step up enforcement with the city's enforcement staff and police so that after-hours presence is treated as trespassing.

During discussion commissioners expressed differing views about closing parks at night and preserving open public space for walkers. Several commissioners said they are concerned about losing open-access walking space for residents who exercise at night. Others said the scale of calls for service and repeated misuse justified physical separation from private backyards.

City Manager Earl summarized a near-term plan agreed by the Commission and staff: obtain the GPS property-line survey, immediately install clearer closing and trespass signage at park entrances, authorize stepped-up enforcement (warnings followed by trespass orders where appropriate), and return with proposed fence alignment that secures the park perimeter (staff said the plan under review would fence the north, east and south sides while leaving the west/front open). Staff said procurement for fence work and dog-fence upgrades will proceed, with installation targeted before the end of the current fiscal year if property-line and access questions can be resolved.

Staff and commissioners also asked Public Works and Code Enforcement to provide a clear timeline for resident notification, easement options for utilities and whether homeownersexisting back-yard gates should remain for private access if an easement is granted. No formal vote was taken; commissioners directed staff to proceed with survey, signage and enforcement and to return with final fencing plans and costs.