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City Park Dumping Raises Neighbors' Concerns

Posted on: Saturday, 14 January 2006, 00:00 CST

By Linda N. Weller, The Telegraph, Alton, Ill.

Jan. 12--ALTON -- Rumbling city dump trucks that suddenly began dropping chunks of old concrete and dirt in part of Olin Park are raising some neighbors' concerns about its fate. "I moved here in December, and one of the big selling points of my house was being able to take my kids to the park," said Rich Williams, of the 1100 block of State Street. "I had planned on getting involved in getting the park cleaned up."

Williams, 36, a commercial airline pilot with three children, said the ball diamond in the lower level of the park is good because baseballs can't fly out into the street. His daughter also had wanted to sled down the hillside when there is enough snow. The family moved to Alton from Florida.

"I just left a state that is full of retired people who don't care about kids," he said. "And the park is safe. There are six of us willing to fix up the park on our own."

He also said the park, at State and Grand Avenue, which once was called Water Tower Park, has historical value, which the city should preserve.

Some neighbors are circulating a petition asking for the city to stop dumping demolition debris in the subgrade part of the park until a specific improvement plan is in place.

Not to worry, assured Mayor Don Sandidge and Mike Drake, executive director of the Alton Park and Recreation Department.

"We are making a park out of it that will be nicer than it was," Sandidge said.

He said the crews from the Alton Public Works Department are filling up the north, gully part of the park with nonbiodegradable materials, as it did with Hellrung Park in the Mexico neighborhood. When completed, all of Olin will be street level.

The heavy trucks trail in and out of the east side of the park during the day, via a narrow brick alley off Ninth Street. The fill concrete, rock and dirt are from demolitions of the former Curran Homes public housing complex and the fountain at State House Circle on College Avenue, which will be replaced.

Drake said that "at worst, it will be covered with dirt, and grass will be planted."

At best, Olin Park would get new equipment and facilities, if funding is available. He said the park department budget might allow for such improvements. Sandidge said perhaps grant money from the Metro-East Park and Recreation District, which is derived from a sales tax, could be used.

Drake said he would hold meetings with residents to determine what features they want added to the park, including playground equipment, and how they will use the greenspace. He also welcomes neighbors to form a park betterment committee, as was done in the Haskell Park area.

Sandidge said the city would work with consultant Wayne Freeman of Godfrey, who devised plans for Hellrung and is conducting a fund-raising campaign to fill out the funding package.

Sandidge said that in the Hellrung project, Freeman drew up plans before the fill-in was complete, then had to make changes to account for differences in the site. This time, he said it would be preferable to draw up plans after the hole is filled in and Drake meets with neighbors.

"It's a big place to fill in, like Hellrung Park," Drake said. "The idea came about as Hellrung did years ago. There were several parcels of property that Alton owns that we can't develop. It has a low-lying area that was suitable for a small ball diamond. As the years have gone by, it's pretty much outlived its usefulness. When it rains or snows, it is muddy for a month. If it doesn't rain, it gets one-half inch cracks" in the clay.

Drake said drainage pipes are broken or otherwise not functional. He also said people litter the lower area with trash and bottles and that it is dangerous for city mowers to cut grass on the steep hill.

"The buzz word in parks is visibility," Drake said. "Raising the elevation to grade level is something we have wanted to do for years."

Drake said the availability now of the free fill materials prompted the city to begin filling in the park sooner than originally planned, rather than to have to pay for them later. Once the vast area is filled, workers will top the debris with soil and plant grass seed, Drake said.

"We are lucky to have access to fill, we wanted to get Hellrung and the circular fountain (State House Circle) done first," he said.

The 4.4-acre park is in disrepair, having one basketball court, baseball diamond and football-soccer field with concrete bleachers built into the side of the hill. Motorists driving on State can see a few pieces of colorful playground equipment and an old, limestone wall.

Williams said city workers last Thursday trimmed back some trees to allow the trucks to enter the area, then began dumping the chunks and dirt Friday. He said he was concerned about safety of children entering the area. Sandidge later said he told the Public Works Department to put up temporary, orange "warning" fencing, which they did this week.

Wednesday morning, city crews tore down a brick restroom that had been "decorated" with graffiti and locked because of vandalism and safety issues.

At one point, Drake said someone removed a padlock on the door and replaced it with his or her own lock -- because the squatter was living inside. The officials said having parks without restrooms encourages park use by neighbors, who can go home when they need to use a bathroom.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Telegraph, Alton, Ill.

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Source: The Telegraph (Alton, Ill.)

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