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Helena staff propose trailhead parking closure hours after residents report nightly loitering and damage
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Summary
Open-lands staff proposed setting trailhead parking closure hours (staff suggested 11 p.m.) and posting signage — not gates — after residents reported nightly loitering, racing and property damage around Reader's Village and other trailhead parking areas.
City open-lands staff presented a proposal to create closure hours for specific trailhead parking areas where neighbors have reported after-hours partying, littering and property damage. Anne Jolene Sather, speaking for the open-lands team, said the goal is to address problematic parking-lot behavior while allowing early-morning recreation and not installing gates.
"We wanna establish trailhead closure hours that do not interfere with recreation," Sather said, adding staff would install signage to notify the public and rely on police to respond to complaints during the closure period. Staff proposed targeted hours intended to capture the late-night period when problems occur and cited other Montana communities' varying approaches as background for the 11 p.m. starting point.
Several residents from neighboring areas, including a commenter who identified themselves as living at 21 Carriage Lane (Reader's Village), urged stronger enforcement and said the problem begins well before 11 p.m. nightly. One resident described repeated late-night racing, broken glass and instances of property damage and asked for enforcement tools beyond signage.
Staff said the changes would be brought back under the park ordinance and posted in advance; they will present final ordinance language and posting details for commission consideration in a future public-hearing session.
