After the north shore trail is complete, I do think it’s worth pursuing a full lake loop in collaboration with IU. A connection from the existing IU RTP to the Lanaam Trail would create a full Griffy Lake loop that would make an amazing trail system even better. It would also become a favorite of every trail runner in the area - a 10 mile loop this close to town would be fantastic!
The water fountain is leaking. Water is seeping out around the base of the fixture. Thank you for addressing the erosion to the north of the steps leading up to the shelter and park. Also, there are multiple areas of erosion around the park. Notable areas are to the east of the shelter and to the south of the sidewalk on the south side of the playground structure but there are presumably other bare areas prone to erosion due to their location on a hill or in a high traffic areas. To prevent long term damage to the structure of the park and not having the shelter area turn in to a muddy mess, please address these issues.
We suspect the folks who mowed the Park Ridge Park on Friday blew large quantities of unmulched leaves and pine needles into our yard, in particular to a small stripe of yard. Given that 1) the city has already picked up leaves in our neighborhood and 2) we are trying to mulch (per the city's request) but given the large amount of leaves deposited in such a small area, we do not have a good solution for getting rid of these leaves. A a minimum, we request that Parks and Rec ensure that the mowing contractors do not blow leaves and pine needles out of the park (and ideally trail) into our yard.
One of the fence posts along the Polly Grimshaw Trail has become loose at the bottom. The post is noticeably wobbly as is the fencing in that area. My guess is that the post rotted out approximately where it goes underground and needs replaced. Please address this issue now so that the fence doesn't fall down in this area.
There are bare (grassless) spots throughout the park, either carrying over from last year or spots where chopped leaves killed the grass over winter. Please remain leaves as needed and put out grass seed and straw to help prevent the park from becoming a dirt mess and to stave off erosion from around the park structures. Thanks!
Water fountain is not turned on, it had some teenager damage from last year, perhaps there is a work order in on it? I tried replying to your email last time, no go, and for some reason, I could not find a staff directory on the city's website.
attn. Tim Street, add to uReport #182858 Park Ridge Park Sign needs a refresh: As you see in the photo, the park signs needs cleaning and repainting. It also has a large hole from either a woodpecker or a bullet. In-person or focus in on the photo and you can see how the sign has deteriorated from the weather. Maybe even a new sign if the budget allows. Much appreciated!
Attn. Parks Department A request to install a dog waste station at the Park Ridge park. We have discussed preliminary logistics with staff member Joanna Sparks when she met with us on a related parks initiative. We believe the station will be well utilized and maintained by our park custodial staff member. He provides good consistent service by the way. Please consider this request, placed in a shady area maybe at the base of the ADA path close to the street circle level. We have many dog walkers in the area so it will be appreciated. Thank you -
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
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.