Subcommittee, parks and police discuss drug paraphernalia, locked gates and long-term options at Rebecca Johnson Park adjacent to elementary school

Springfield Public Schools and city park officials told a joint subcommittee they found discarded drug paraphernalia near play areas at Rebecca Johnson Park, the public park adjacent to Rebecca Johnson Elementary School, and described short-term measures and longer-term options to reduce trespass and hazardous waste near the school.

The superintendent said a walk-through took place on the morning of Aug. 29 with "John," Zone Chief Steve Robinson, Adam Fen (director of safety and security) and Tom Ash (director of parks) to survey conditions and produce a quick map of access points. John and Pat (facilities staff) summarized the map for the subcommittee: the park is largely city-owned parkland, with a single driveway adjacent to the school that appears to be on school property. The red-line map presented to the committee showed five penetrations of the park fencing: vehicular/pedestrian Gates 1 and 2, pedestrian Gate 3 (an open pass-through), and pedestrian Gates 4 and 5 by a splash pad; at the time of the Aug. 29 inspection Gates 1, 2, 4 and 5 were secured with chains and locks.

Officials said observations placed most of the discarded paraphernalia in the park's upper corner near two play areas, a circular amphitheater and an enclosed garden bed. Principal Sutton and staff have been removing hazards before school hours to keep children safe, the superintendent said. Committee members asked who is responsible for ongoing maintenance; staff responded that once land is transferred to the parks department it is city parkland and responsibility for routine cleaning and maintenance rests with the parks department. The transfer of land to the park department reportedly occurred in a 2010–2011 period tied to playground construction, according to a GIS review staff displayed for the committee.

Parks and safety staff described short-term steps already taken and next steps: (1) Gates 1, 2, 4 and 5 were secured with chains and locks on Aug. 29 to reduce through-traffic; (2) staff agreed to explore whether the park can be locked at dusk (several parks close at sundown) and petition the park commission if a permanent access change is desired; (3) staff will investigate placing surveillance cameras or signage warning of surveillance near the areas where paraphernalia is concentrated; (4) staff will ask the parks department to clarify cleanup procedures for hazardous drug waste in city parks and whether additional cleaning resources can be assigned for this site; and (5) police agreed to increase patrols as feasible and neighborhood teams were asked to monitor the site.

Tom Ash, director of parks, told the subcommittee that any permanent change to public access — including adding gates or changing park boundaries — would require review and a vote by the park commission and likely legal review. He said preliminary, informal conversations about a possible land swap had taken place but that would be a lengthy process with no commitments. Committee members raised equity concerns about restricting community access to a splash pad that serves the Mason Square neighborhood during hot weather.

Chief Akers of the Springfield Police Department said he had not seen the news coverage and asked staff to forward the diagrams so his teams could target patrols; he said regular overnight patrols exist but additional targeted checks can be arranged. The superintendent and parks staff agreed to provide written follow-up on cleanup responsibility, hours/closure policy and any proposed surveillance plan.

No formal motions or votes were taken on permanent actions during the meeting. The subcommittee recorded the interim action of securing four gates on Aug. 29 and directed staff to pursue follow-up items and report back.

The subcommittee asked staff to return with a clearer cleanup schedule for parks, a statement of who handles hazardous waste disposal in parks such as Forest Park or Blunt Park, the feasibility and cost of surveillance cameras and a timeline if a petition to the park commission is necessary for more permanent changes.