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Matt proposes lights and evening winter events at Abshire Park; staff says city can begin this season
Summary
A presenter named Matt asked the Goshen Park and Recreation Board to add timed lighting and pop-up winter programming at Abshire Park from November through February; staff said the plan fits under existing park-sponsored activity rules and can start this season without a formal ordinance change.
Matt, a presenter to the board, described plans to expand winter programming at Abshire Park by combining limited extended hours with timed lighting on the sledding hill and a series of pop-up events from November through February. "My proposal would be a combination of both ... from November through February" and to set the lighting on a timer until about 8:00 p.m., Matt said.
Tanya, the superintendent/director, said the proposal would fall under the city's existing park-sponsored activity framework and would not require immediate ordinance changes. "I don't think that we're requesting to change park hours necessarily, and there is room in the ordinance that we could have activities happening in the park as long as they're park sponsored," Tanya said, adding staff would treat the events as park-sponsored programming.
Don, a staff member who answered questions about liability, said adding lighting could reduce risk by making known use safer. "The short answer is no ... since we have knowledge that there are people using it without the light, putting the light out there to help make it a little bit safer is an appropriate step to actually reduce liability," Don said.
The board discussed logistics: opening a warming house for families during pop-up sledding events, offering hot chocolate and snacks, and possibly inviting a few food vendors and music. Board members also asked whether existing fixtures would be sufficient; staff said the current lighting (one at the top of the hill and one closer to the parking area) would likely be adequate for the proposed pop-up events.
On timing, Tanya told Matt the department could begin extended winter activities and the timed lighting this season. "Yeah, Matt, it would be very easy for us to begin doing that immediately at least extending the winter activity hours there this season," she said. No formal vote was required because staff characterized the program as a park-sponsored activity under the existing ordinance.
The board did not take a formal motion on this item; members expressed support and asked staff to proceed with planning and safety checks. The discussion concluded with staff and the presenter agreeing to move forward with the proposed pop-up programming and timed lighting.
The transcript contains inconsistent spellings of the park name (variously "Abshhire," "Abashire"); this article standardizes to "Abshire Park" for clarity while noting the transcript variant in the audit.
