Residents press council to keep small neighborhood parks, question dog-park conversions and police leadership

Dozens of residents addressed the Mound City Council during the public-comment period on Sept. 23, urging the council to keep small neighborhood parks in place and flagging concerns about local policing practices.

Several speakers described everyday, informal uses of small parks and argued those uses were being overlooked in staff materials that labeled parks as “underutilized.” Sam Janki, who lives at 4722 Gordon Road next to Dune Park, said he and his children use the green space daily and warned that converting the site to a dog park would be inappropriate in a residential area because there are already three dog parks within a 15-minute drive and because of past sanitation issues elsewhere. “I have a dog. I’ve gone to all the dog parks around. There are 3 dog parks within 15 minutes of this building. So it seems a bit crazy to put another 1 in, especially in a residential area,” Janki said.

Other neighbors gave similar testimony about small parks in their neighborhoods. Giuseppe Mendelea, 4517 Tuxedo Boulevard, said the Chevron-extension park is used “every day” for walking dogs and informal recreation and warned that replacing parkland with private property could reduce natural stormwater filtration that helps keep the lake clean. “If you suddenly put a property on there…you’d suddenly get more pollution in the lake,” he said.

Jenny Sewell, of the Bluffs neighborhood, argued a small lot between two houses provides scarce flat play space for families with young children and recommended that the council consider playground equipment rather than selling or eliminating the lot. Brian Gordon, who lives near Dundee Lane, described the park as “the park in the neighborhood you’re gonna go visit” for parents with small children who want a quieter, walkable green space.

Separately, Jane Igard, who identified herself as a nonresident at 1386 Restpoint Road in Orono, raised concerns about leadership at the Arnold Police Department (a neighboring jurisdiction) and described a pattern she said involved complaints being dismissed internally. “Out of 30 of them, how many do you think the Arnold Police Department exonerated themselves from? That’s right. 30,” Igard said during public comment, adding that she obtained body-cam footage relating to an arrest she described as “horrendous.”

Council members repeatedly said the public-comment period is the appropriate time for residents to raise concerns; members did not commit to specific policy changes during the comment period. Several speakers offered to continue engagement with staff if the council schedules a joint parks discussion with the parks commission. Council Member Castellano and others indicated they expected a follow-up joint parks meeting once staff returns required data.

What residents asked for - Keep smaller, walkable neighborhood parks and reconsider plans that would remove them or sell the land. - Consider playground or modest capital improvements (rather than removal) for small lots serving families. - If the council is considering a dog park, locate it away from dense residential areas and analyze sanitary impacts and maintenance costs.

What council members said - Staff and council will follow up after receiving additional data about park use and boundaries and may schedule a joint parks commission meeting or a workshop in late 2025 or early 2026.

Sources: public comments, Mound City Council meeting transcript, Sept. 23, 2025.