When the Hammondsport Village Board meets tonight, the trustees will discuss what to do about the public park on Grape Street, which was closed several months ago due to vandalism and complaints about the behavior of kids who hang out there. The park was posted with signs and fenced off after years of complaints from neighbors.
“There was garbage thrown in their yards, vulgar language, you name it,” Hammondsport Mayor Emery Cummings. “We had all kinds of problems.”
Damage caused by vandals was also becoming costly to repair, and the village’s part-time police force didn’t have the time to constantly monitor the park, Cummings said.
But some want the park to be reopened, especially with spring on the way. The park includes playground equipment, a basketball court and a skateboarding park.
“It’s really the only park in the village for kids to go to,” said Hammondsport resident Rose Ragow, who has a son who enjoys using the park.
Ragow says she may circulate a petition calling for the park to be reopened. Ragow said the kids who cause problems at the park will just find somewhere else to cause trouble - and it could be a more dangerous place, like a nearby gorge.
Cummings says the trustees will talk about their options for the park at tonight’s meeting, set for 6 p.m. at Hammondsport Village Hall. Everything will be on the table including moving the park to an entirely new location, he said.
Cummings says he also wants to call a group meeting with people who live in the neighborhood to gather input before deciding how to proceed.
When the Hammondsport Village Board meets tonight, the trustees will discuss what to do about the public park on Grape Street, which was closed several months ago due to vandalism and complaints about the behavior of kids who hang out there. The park was posted with signs and fenced off after years of complaints from neighbors.
“There was garbage thrown in their yards, vulgar language, you name it,” Hammondsport Mayor Emery Cummings. “We had all kinds of problems.”
Damage caused by vandals was also becoming costly to repair, and the village’s part-time police force didn’t have the time to constantly monitor the park, Cummings said.
But some want the park to be reopened, especially with spring on the way. The park includes playground equipment, a basketball court and a skateboarding park.
“It’s really the only park in the village for kids to go to,” said Hammondsport resident Rose Ragow, who has a son who enjoys using the park.
Ragow says she may circulate a petition calling for the park to be reopened. Ragow said the kids who cause problems at the park will just find somewhere else to cause trouble - and it could be a more dangerous place, like a nearby gorge.
Cummings says the trustees will talk about their options for the park at tonight’s meeting, set for 6 p.m. at Hammondsport Village Hall. Everything will be on the table including moving the park to an entirely new location, he said.
Cummings says he also wants to call a group meeting with people who live in the neighborhood to gather input before deciding how to proceed.
