The Eureka Springs Parks Commission and staff faced a larger-than-normal crowd who came prepared with reprimands, complaints, and recommendations at the June 18 meeting in the Auditorium. Chair Bill Featherstone said public protocol should follow the same set of guidelines as the military – timeliness and use of the chain-of-command. “I apologize for the military terminology, but people understand that,” he said. “It’s not said in a condescending way at all… [but] if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything at all. The proper course of action is to simply email our director. Feel free to also copy the commission but that shouldn’t be necessary.”
Linda McBride, the first resident to speak, said she emailed and phoned Parks staff and emailed the commission, which seemed to be the fan that flamed Featherstone’s comments. McBride addressed the meeting regarding the poor state of the city’s Bark Park, one of six city parks.
“The dog park is neglected and in disrepair and not the shining star it was over three years ago,” she said. “It is no longer a quality place.” The lack of landscape maintenance, years of dead leaves piled up, a tick infestation, standing water attracting mosquitoes, broken gates and unmaintained trails were examples McBride used to urge the commission to do something to improve the park.
“No mulch or gravel has been put down for over three years. The tree limbs coming up out of the ground make walking treacherous.” McBride asked for not just repairs but for an annual maintenance plan as well as an explanation for the neglect. “Why in the world have you allowed the dog park to deteriorate under your non-watchful eye from the director’s office just around the corner from the dog park?” McBride asked. Tourists and residents are appalled at the condition of the dog park, she said, and “The city and the community made an investment in the dog park and for Parks to discard that investment is offensive and each of you are better than this. Out of sight, out of mind isn’t acceptable.”
She recommended the commission either deal with this or close the park for the public’s safety. “Many in town believe there are those in Parks who want the park closed and that is the reason the park is being neglected and allowed to deteriorate. I hope this isn’t true. The dog park is a city park just like Lake Leatherwood and the other parks. On your website it says the parks department is responsible for maintenance of the dog park.”
Featherstone offered no apology and said they need volunteers in order to manage all the city parks. “Our job at Parks is enormous; bigger than its budget; bigger than its staff.” Commissioner Cameron DeNoewer blamed the public saying, “What happened to that committee that was helping to maintain that park? The public dropped the ball on themselves.”
Parks Director Justin Huss responded that he did reply to McBride, had a phone call with her and even followed up with an update on the status of the dog park maintenance “that we would be yet another week behind, and she chose to come in here and act like I didn’t. That’s why I get a little aggravated.”
When asked about the Parks budget Huss clarified that the administration does not itemize the budget by park. The budget is pooled into two buckets – the Lake Leatherwood Park in one, and all the other city parks, including the Bark Park, in the other. How the time and money is allocated among each of the city parks is unclear, and McBride said, “You can’t run a department that way.”
Featherstone and Huss later agreed to meet with McBride and Mayor Butch Berry on Wednesday at the park to look at the specifics.