Residents press council on backyard chickens and playground upgrades

Multiple residents used the citizen-comment period to press the council on neighborhood recreation and zoning issues, asking for playground upgrades and urging the council to reconsider restrictions on backyard chickens.

Samuel Walker of 408 East Washington asked the city to consider updating playground equipment and accessibility at Riverdance Park (also called Goose Town). He recommended that council explore grants, partnerships or small improvements such as surfacing and swings to improve safety and community use.

Council members noted parks and recreation is discussing upgrades and that volunteers and staff are gathering project ideas. Council referred the playground suggestion to existing parks planning and encouraged residents to contact committee members and the city manager.

Later in the public-comment portion, Jessica Green told council she supports permitting backyard chickens in town for modest food-security reasons and suggested practical guardrails: a limit of six birds, a three-foot setback easement from property lines, and clear guidelines on coop size and sanitation. She said concerns about avian influenza are overblown for small flocks and urged councilors to research the issue and solicit wider community input before deciding.

Council reported the municipal properties committee considered residential poultry for one to two months and reached a split 2–2 vote, resulting in no committee recommendation to change the ordinance; members emphasized enforcement, neighborhood compatibility and sanitation as primary concerns. Council suggested preparing an informational memo and historical context about previous zoning decisions and indicated the matter will likely return to committee for further work.

Provenance: Citizen comments and committee report are taken from the council's citizen-communication and municipal-properties sections of the meeting record.