Case Date:

4/20/2020

Seminary Park -- need I say more? I work at the Post Office right beside this park. I have worked at this location since the Post Office took over the old Ponderosa. Daily when I get to work at 7:15 until when I leave around 5:00 pm there is a steady stream of people who are using this park as a shanti (I know the parks dept. along with the police dept. know all about the issues and the police even know most of them by name). I first submitted my complaint in May 2013 and have all copies of my correspondence --along with Mick Renneisen's responses. There are regularly large groups of people going back & forth to Big Red Liquors and taking their booze back to the park to drink openly all day long. There is filthy language, shouting cuss words, fighting, loud boom-box music that we can hear inside the Post Office, stumbling through our parking lot, leaving trash everywhere in the park and through our parking lot, they hang a hammock, (twice this month), last week they hung a large green tarp (it was raining), and cars coming and going all day long. Those cars park in our parking lot (that entire lot is leased by the Post Office--it IS NOT for Seminary Park and they should not be using it) mainly at the northwest end. As these cars come to park people come from all through the park to come up to the window of the car and surround it doing, well, you can guess at that! Then, they go back to the park and the car leaves, only to come back later in the day with, again, people flocking to surround the car. I have come to work on a morning after one of their big parties and there is trash everywhere. You know this because you send your employees several times/week to clean up after them--sometimes more than once/day. Is the cost to clean up that park made public? A couple of years ago there was "supposedly" a camera installed on the pole at the northwest corner of the Post Office parking lot that you were to use to monitor this park. Obviously that is not happening. When I 1st submitted a complaint and Mick Renneison responded I had witnessed a man urinating on a tree--around 1:30 in the afternoon as I was stuck trying to get out of our lot on my lunch break on a busy day. You could not miss this man as he was stumbling while holding his privates to try to pee. Mick's response was that the only time anything could be done is if skin showed! There's no doubt I saw skin! Just last week it happened again and I witnessed it, and so have my co-workers and customers who visit our business. In May 2013 a question I asked was about loitering in public parks and Mick's response was that it's hard to determine if someone is loitering in a park, or just enjoying it. Please!! When they set up camp before I get to work at 7:15 and stay all day drinking--seems like loitering to me. What will it take to clean up this park? I work right beside this park and cannot enjoy a lunch outside there. What about the rights of the citizens who work within a couple of blocks of this park and wish to walk there for their lunch? I am having to call the police frequently on issues involving that park. With the current COVID-19 issue it does not appear that Blgtn. Parks and Rec is enforcing any of the social distancing rules--except to put up signs in the park! Obviously that isn't working. When I left work tonight I counted 5 cars and 2 trucks (and a tan Lincoln SUV that is there every day!) -- all parked at that northwest corner with one truck parked sideways--not in a parking spot. There were large crowds all over this park along with crowds surrounding the parked vehicles. There was about maybe 1 week early in the COVID-19 stay-at-home and social distancing rules that we observed police coming through the park to spread people out of their crowds. Now just signs that they ignore--or take up completely. This park is at a major north/south and east/west intersection. This is not a pretty picture for the mayor who wants to tout Bloomington as a beautiful city. This is not a beautiful sight and something we should be ashamed of when we have out-of-town visitors driving by that spot. It seems to me that that crowd of people KNOW that nothing will be done to them.

Case Date:

5/23/2023

We could use a trash receptacle or combo trash/recycling on the dam side of Griffy Lake. This area gets quite a bit of usage during the warm months and I find a lot of bottles and cans, fishing materials, and dog waste in the area. Since the area is already being mowed on a regular basis, I would imagine it would be fairly easy for the crew to empty the bin at the same time.

Case Date:

12/28/2023

The Griffy Dam parking area could still use a trash can and/or dog waste station. Lots of folks fish and walk their dogs here, but there is no place to dispose of old fishing line and dog waste. Last time I mentioned this they said they would reassess once the new trail was completed. I know it’s a bit out of the way but maybe the crew that maintains Ferguson dog park could swing by and collect it once a week? Thanks!

Case Date:

5/18/2024

Holes in playground base/flooring , could be a hazard

Case Date:

9/28/2021

There appears to be a termite infestation at the Park Ridge park on Longview Avenue.

Case Date:

7/24/2022

Poop all over the mulch under the playground, in a couple different spots. Don't know if it's dog or human poop (there is a wipe as well), but highly disgusting and unsafe.

Case Date:

4/14/2021

This is a repeat of a previous ureport as I haven't heard any updates on the previous ureport nor seen noticed action yet being taken to address this issue. There is bare ground at the playground structure at Park Ridge Park. There is need of new fill material in particular at points of high traffic (the bottom of slides, the bottoms of steps etc). Also - there is ongoing erosion at locations through out the park, in particular to the north of the concrete steps leading in to the park and to the north of the the playground structure. I suggest strongly trying to address this (and the other locations) sooner rather than later as previous experience suggests that these areas only get worse with time.

Case Date:

4/2/2020

People who are seemingly from different households continue to use park shelter at Park Ridge Park. Thank you for putting out a sign at the Park Ridge Park basketball court requesting that individuals and families pratice CDC guidelines with respect to maintining a physical distance of at least 6 feet from all non-household members. I feel like a similar sign would be appopriate at the shelter area of Park Ridge Park to remind park goers of their duties to the community to aid in stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Case Date:

3/3/2021

The playground at Park Ridge Park needs additional fill/fiber/woodchips/whatever it is called. There are areas of consistently exposed dirt, there are deep pits under the swings, and the distance between the bottoms of some of the slides and the playground surface has grown large. Additionally, there are areas of exposed dirt in the grassy areas around the playground in areas or erosion. It has been worse in the past, but still seems like it needs addressed to try to prevent additional erosion.

Case Date:

4/2/2020

Thank you for clearing the leaves from Park Ridge Park from the those beautiful but pesky large oak trees. Also, thank you for putting down grassseed and straw to aid in the park grounds maintence, helping to ensure that the park stays great for the next 20 years. The park users, community, and future park users thank you!