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Parks superintendent urges repairs to Edgar Park gates and restoration of cameras; DW Field golf generates significant revenue
Summary
Parks Superintendent Tim Carpenter told the committee ARPA funds completed improvements across wards, DW Field Golf generated about $1.8 million last year, and repeated after‑hours gate breaches and camera outages at Edgar Park are being addressed with electrical repairs and coordination with police.
Tim Carpenter, superintendent of parks, briefed the Finance Committee on FY27 requests and recent work funded through ARPA. He said ARPA dollars helped complete improvements in parks across every ward and highlighted DW Field Golf Course as a strong revenue source (grossing more than $1.8 million in the prior fiscal year).
Multiple councilors raised safety concerns about Edgar Park, reporting repeated incidents of the park gate being cut or left open after hours and inconsistent camera coverage. Carpenter said all city parks are closed dusk‑to‑dawn, that locks at Edgar Park have been replaced several times in recent weeks, and that electrical work completed as part of ARPA should allow park cameras to be brought back online. “We have replaced that chain and lock several times over the past three weeks… those incidents … predominantly happen after my staff has all gone home,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter asked for continued coordination with police for camera monitoring and for DPW to address foliage that obscures signage near problem intersections. He also described equipment and capital needs: replacing mowers and other large maintenance equipment to address daily workloads, and a $200,000 earmark for Puffer Playground expected this calendar year. DW Field figures provided to a councilor showed roughly 3,994 paid greens rounds by residents and 12,560 by non‑residents in the current fiscal year to date, which the superintendent said benefits revenue because non‑residents pay higher rates.
Next steps: Parks will continue electrical and camera repairs at Edgar Park, work with police on monitoring and gate security, and pursue grants for capital park improvements.
