Vandalism and old age led to the removal of the dock at Sherwood/Banotai Park in Sumpter Township earlier this month.
During his report from the Parks and Recreation Commission during the June 28 meeting, Deputy Supervisor/Trustee Tim Rush explained that he was called to the park by police officers back in May when there was concern about the safety of the dock. He said he went to the park and found the railing on the main deck and other damage which he documented with photos. He said he believed the damage was recent.
“It was a major safety issue. Somebody falling off that deck with no ladder to get back up.” He added that there were pieces of the deck missing and the structure was in such disarray “something had to be done.”
Rush said he notified Township Supervisor Tim Bowman, who took action to prevent a serious incident the damaged dock threatened. Bowman, a builder and contractor, used his own equipment and removed the dock. Bowman said in his opinion the dock could not be repaired due to the age of lumber used in the original construction.
“That park is like the wild, wild west and is getting way out of control. It is an embarrassment,” Rush told the board members. He said during his visits, he has seen dogs on the beach, trash littering the area, drinking and vandalism. He told the board he had personally removed 20 beer cans from the beach and in the water during one visit. He added that signs installed in the park last year are gone.
He offered the board members two options, the first being specifications for a closed-circuit camera installed at the park which would record incidents on video. Rush said he would be willing to write the specifications for the surveillance device and the item could be let out for bids. The second option he suggested was daily supervision at the park.
Parks and Recreation Commission member Sharon Pokerwinski expressed her concern for recent vandalism of a bench at the park and a general disregard by users for maintaining the park areas. “I'd just like to get the parks back to what they were,” she told the board.
Trustee Don LaPorte said it was obvious there was a “clear and present need for a plan for our parks.” He suggested reaching out to neighboring communities to determine how they address cleaning of lavatories, trash and beaches. He suggested asking neighboring communities how they handle miscellaneous repairs at community-owned parks.
LaPorte strongly suggested that the township needed a definite plan for the maintenance of the parks.
“We need to understand what our needs are. Before we bid on a security system we should have a plan. Before we go writing checks, we should have a plan.”
Bowman said that he was working on a plan to improve recreation and the parks in the township.
Trustee Matt Oddy reminded the board members that last year they had discussed grass cutting at the parks and that they eventually did approve the hiring of a part-time person for the job. He said he felt the board members should at least consider hiring a part time person for the parks to supervise and perform maintenance and regular cleaning of the facilities.
Bowman said his plan included having someone at the parks during the hours they were open.
