Case Date:

3/28/2019

Hello, I live near the Jackson creek trail and find the new lights to be a complete disappointment. They are extremely bright and it no longer feels as though you are walking through nature, but rather a parking lot. Not only is it aesthetically unappealing but I am also concerned for the local wildlife. Light pollution can have a tremendous impact on the lives of nocturnal animals. I have been hearing spring peepers and owls this year but I’m concerned that these lights will affect these animals negatively. For one, artificial night light hinders an owls ability to hunt. For a city supposedly concerned about the environment, I find this change to be extremely disheartening. While I advocate for getting rid of them all together, the lights should at least be put on a timer so that they go off when the park is closed— around ten or 11. Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Case Date:

5/5/2019

Can't change the address before registering for Parks & Rec Program.

Case Date:

7/28/2019

Swing seat damaged at Waldron hill third street playground

Case Date:

7/16/2019

Area between Graham Drive and Winslow Farm area being used to litter and as dog defecation area. Possible development into park-like area with large shrubs, etc?

Case Date:

8/3/2019

Really like the work done at Olcott Park!!! I use the park almost daily and it is always well maintained, clean and friendly. Nice job!!! Thank you.

Case Date:

1/16/2019

Hi, I contacted the city a few weeks ago regarding the status of Park Ridge Park and the materials on areas around the park and shelter in that park. In that note, I suggested cleaning up the debris in the park so as to prevent having to mitigate the problems caused by leaving them over the winter. The past two years, erosion mitigation was done on the park and it occurred to me that if the debris were removed, their would be less work in the spring to get the park back to the way it was at the beginning of fall. That suggestion was passed on to Dave Williams and I have not yet heard anything back from the parks department. I would like to know what the plans are for park with regards to debris removal. I am concerned now that since the true winter has begun and the city leaf removal is over, the debris will now remain in place all winter, hopefully to be removed soon enough in the spring such that only minimal work will have to be done in the spring. Perhaps if I had none that Parks would not be able to handle the debris removal, we could have organized a neighborhood effort to take care of the problem but it seems like that time has passed. To be clear, I really appreciate the responsiveness the Parks Department has had to suggestions and concerns about the Park Ridge Park and no doubt all the other parks. The erosion mitigation efforts conducted over the last two years did have a very positive effect and the park, the neighborhood and the city are all better for them. I am sure that something will get worked out this time as well and look forward to hearing what the plan is going forward for our wonderful, small and highly shaded park. Thank you.

Case Date:

12/7/2018

First - thank you for how responsive the department has been to our observations about Park Ridge Park. We really appreciate it! Park Ridge has a density of plants in and around it and is a relatively small park. As such, the amount of debris that can accumulate on the park compared to its size is quite high. We have witnessed that this debris tends to remain over the winter and well into spring if it isn't removed. We have seen that this eventually causes problems as the debris prevents grass from overwintering well and regrowing in the spring. This leads to bare spots (especially since the park is pretty all sloped except for the build in structures) leading to erosion. The Parks Department has worked diligently to mitigate these erosion issues through sowing grass seed, putting down straw mats, etc. This has been effective at at least stopping the erosion. However, I wonder if these mitigation efforts will have to be repeated next spring given the amount of debris in park. I suggest removing the debris now to hopefully prevent future problems and accompanying efforts to fix those problems. Please let us know what you think and thanks again for your responsiveness and hard work at making Park Ridge and Bloomington a great place to live and work. Cheers, John

Case Date:

6/3/2019

Hi, First, thank you for removing the leaves from Park Ridge Park, the excellent park in the Park Ridge neighborhood, in April. Now, it seems like it is in need of a little bit of post-winter care. The areas where the leaves laid overwinter have become bare (see the picture). This is a spot that the Parks Department has worked hard trying to recover before and I suppose it is time work on it again. There are also other bare spots in the park where leaves had laid over winter (by the shelter - to the east) and for some unknown reason to the south of the swings. Could these areas please be addressed with grass seed and straw to make sure that park stays maintainable, that the structures don't end being compromised by erosion, and to make the park less of a mess after a rain? Also, the mulch covering the area underneath the playground structure may need refilled, in particular underneath the swings. Finally, is there a regular schedule under which these aspects of the park(s) get addressed? I am sure there are priorities and limited resources. We do not want to bother the department - if we knew that this maintenance would be done (based on a known schedule), then we would only have the thank yous to include instead of a thank you and a request. Thanks again.

Case Date:

10/28/2019

Hi, Regarding Park Ridge Park, as the fall leaf season approaches, I want to bring up leave removal at the park. It does seem as though some bare ground did develop at the park this season and I would say that it is due in part to the lack of leaf removal. Neighborhood residents might be able to aid in getting our very shaded and "treed" park cleared. To make the most of that, we would appreciate it if Parks and Rec or some other city agency could help out with coordinating with the leave removal crews to ensure that if we do gather the leaves that they will be picked up. Is that something that the department can help out with? Thanks as always, John

Case Date:

6/16/2019

Thank you for putting down straw and grass seed in Park Ridge Park as well as putting out more playground fill!