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Parks department outlines holiday events, reports vandalism at city gun range
Summary
Parks staff told the board it has finalized parade plans and holiday events and reported deliberate vandalism at the municipal gun range that forced a temporary closure; staff are pursuing trail cameras, increased patrols and a police report to prevent recurrence.
The city’s parks staff reported final preparations for its holiday events and raised a security concern after deliberate vandalism at the municipal gun range.
Speaker 5, identified in the meeting as a parks and recreation staff member, said the department finalized plans for the parade and the "bright lights and festive nights" event, noting the parade has 94 entries and the trees will be lit at 6 p.m. during Friday’s activities. The department thanked public works and the police department for support in staging the events.
On public-safety matters, Speaker 5 described vandalism at the gun range over the weekend: "Someone deliberately shot off some of our chains, and we just added to it. Stole some of our new targets that we had just placed up there," he said, adding the range was closed for a couple of days and reopened at 8 a.m. the morning of the meeting. Staff filed a police report and said officers arrived within about 15 minutes after the call.
To reduce future incidents, parks staff and the police discussed options including placing trail cameras at the range entrance, camouflaging equipment to make it less obvious, and increasing patrols; Speaker 5 said he had spoken with Commander Rodriguez, who planned to send additional patrols. "Trail cams... could get us a little better, get a body frame," Speaker 5 said when describing what evidence the cameras might provide.
Staff emphasized balancing camera costs and privacy concerns and asked the board to approve camera placement if needed. The parks report otherwise focused on event logistics and volunteer coordination for the holiday season.
The board did not take a formal vote on cameras or additional security during the meeting; staff said they would continue coordinating with police and return with recommendations or requests for formal approval if necessary.
