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Resident tells Huntington Woods commission the city has neglected Vail Jones Park and raises Open Meetings Act concerns
Summary
A resident at 13160 Kingston told the commission the city had not addressed litter, broken equipment and an overflowing fountain at Vail Jones Park and alleged the July 15 special meeting was not properly posted; commissioners asked staff to prioritize a cleanup and staff pledged follow-up.
During public participation at the Sept. 17 meeting, a resident who gave the address 13160 Kingston criticized the condition of Vail Jones Park and accused the city of failing both maintenance duties and open-meetings posting requirements.
The speaker described photographs submitted to the commission showing "litter, marijuana paraphernalia, alcohol, and weeds," an overflowing water fountain, a broken picnic table and, most recently, an "open filthy container of used baby wipes" that had been sitting for two weeks. "Your continued inaction has shown me just how little you care about Vail Jones Park and all the residents and visitors affected by what transpires there," the resident said.
The commenter also said a July 15 special commission meeting was not broadly posted online or in the citys email communications and argued that posting the notice only on the City Hall bulletin board did not satisfy Open Meetings Act requirements. The resident said a promised follow-up from Mr. Wilson had not occurred and that they had to submit a formal request on Sept. 5 to obtain basic information.
Commissioners responded by asking staff to send a cleanup crew. "If there is garbage and debris everywhere, get it cleaned up," one commissioner said, and Ethan, acting in the city manager role that night, said on behalf of the city manager and commission he would email crews in the morning and "put you guys on it." The meeting record shows the commission also discussed longer-term policy or maintenance work but took the immediate action of directing staff to arrange a cleanup.
The resident raised Open Meetings Act concerns about the July 15 posting; the commission did not issue a determination during the meeting and said follow-up would occur through staff channels. The transcript does not record a formal city response resolving the posting allegation.
Next steps: staff will notify crews to address the park cleanup immediately and follow up with the commenter; any formal review of the meeting posting will be handled by staff and, if warranted, brought back to the commission.
