The Ferguson Dog Park has low lying areas in all three parts of it. It floods and there is standing water for days after a rain. Just needs a little dirt and some grass seed.
Broken playground equipment
Loose concrete slab
The culvert just next to 2680 S Wexley Road (latitude 39.1399, longitude -86.5131) needs cleaning. During rain several weeks ago, the water almost came to our door. It seems that this culver is neglected all the time; when they revised the culverts several years ago, this one was omitted. Often we do not see any flow, just standing water around it.
Hole opened up very recently. Bryan Park, near where the feeder enters Sheridan Creek. Wasn't there a few days ago. It's quite visible so not as dangerous, but still it might be wise to fill it in.
This hole at Bryan Park is not so obvious and ir's therefore more likely someone might step in it and fall, twist an ankle, etc. So it would be good to fill it in. Gravel first, then dirt?
One of the chains is broken on the red and yellow swing at Sherwood oaks park.
I love Bryan Park and have walked there nearly every morning for many years. In the past year or so, bikes have increased in numbers in the park and have become a significant danger to pedestrians. While there are many bikers who are careful and ride slowly down the park's paths, there are always a few bike riders who speed along the park's sidewalks and paths, endangering pedestrians and pets. They fail to announce themselves when they are passing people from behind and ride at speeds that are too fast to be safe. There are many older people who use the park as well as people with small children and pets. The bikers are especially dangerous to them. There should be some safe places for pedestrians in Bloomington and the parks should be among these places. Please keep the bikes out of the park and off of the sidewalks surrounding the park or please enforce bicycle speed limits in the park. This is an accident waiting to happen. An encounter with an unsafe biker is nearly a daily event in the park.
I've noticed the systematic cutting of the wild grape vines throughout the Griffy Nature Preserve. These are native Indiana plants used as food by wildlife, not an alien invasive species. Why are these being cut from the nature preserve? Shouldn't this area be allowed to remain as wild as possible?
There is a huge grassy plot of land next to Sherwood Oaks Park that has gone seemingly unused for years. It would be great if this expanse of land could be used to create a dog park. There are many dog owners in the Bloomington community that frequent Sherwood Oaks Park, and adding a simple dog park there would give this unused plot of land some purpose and revitalize the park as a whole. This grassy expanse is located alongside the Jackson Creek Trail, a long sidewalk that many dog owners use, myself included. Having the dog park located here would be highly accessible, useful, and convenient. As you may already know, there is already a dog park in Bloomington called Ferguson Dog Park; however, it is in a secluded location and quite far off from local neighborhoods. Commuting there and back is a hassle, and I'm sure many other Bloomington dog owners would agree. This proposed dog park wouldn't have to be fancy. I suggest 2-3 separate fenced-in areas (each area suits different dog sizes/mannerisms) as well as a shaded picnic/sitting area. A dog wash station would be ideal, but not necessary. These suggestions are based off of the design of Ferguson Dog Park, so Ferguson can definitely be consulted for ideas during the creation of this proposed Sherwood Oaks dog park. In the picture above, the dotted lines represent a rough idea for the fencing that would separate the dog park into the 3 areas.