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Residents and council press city on Fairview Park safety as budget trims a park ranger
Summary
Public commenters and council members urged the city to retain or reassign a park ranger and bolster park safety after recent fires and misconduct; staff said the proposed budget eliminates one park ranger position but will reallocate resources and examine options including outreach and enforcement.
During public comment at the May 12 study session, residents described recent fires, vandalism and harassment at Fairview Park and urged the council not to eliminate a park ranger funded in prior years.
Several speakers — including a longtime volunteer and members of the Fairview Park steering committee — said the park ranger presence had improved behavior at Harper Park and other areas and that removing a ranger would reverse progress. "We need more park rangers at Fairview Park," one commenter said, citing recent fires and safety concerns.
Human resources manager Kasima and staff explained the proposed budget eliminates one park ranger position that had been approved in a prior year; the department said it had restructured park ranger deployment and could reassign duties. Council members asked staff to consider alternatives, including reassigning a frozen position, using targeted enforcement resources, improving data collection on incidents, and exploring technology (motion cameras, drones) to supplement ranger coverage.
On the fire station financing discussion, public works director Roger described a planned Fire Station 2 project with an estimated $12–$15 million cost range and explained that the city has set aside $1.1 million as a local contribution; Roger said some pledged city assets limit total borrowing capacity and staff will report back on maximum feasible bond amounts.
Staff committed to follow up with additional detail on park ranger deployment, options for reallocation, and a plan for tracking incidents and expenditures affecting park safety.
