Another one of many visits was made to Levi Carter Park places on Saturday morning, July 28th. The morning bicycle ride-about was nothing new, as it has been done more than 90 times since March 2011.
The so-called lake improvement project is underway — especially dredging of the oxbow lake — so the central part of the park is closed due to construction. The bike ride went along the east side, and then after a go-about, also along the west side road.
Particularly obvious items readily noticed, included:
- 1. two or three instances of illegal parking by motor vehicles on the west side of the lake, on the barren soil without any grass; they were mostly associated with people fishing; they just drove from the city street to a parking spot near the lake, so they would not have to walk or could get their vehicle close enough to be able to hear the radio.
- 2. several dogs running around which were not upon a leash; three were associated with one man.
- 3. illegal driving through the park by some man in a Lanoha pick-up truck, leading his dog through the east side of the park, as has been observed many times this year; he just drives along, with the dog behind, as if it was his own yard.
- 4. littering by park patrons present, as in particular noticed on the west side, which is nothing new at the park where tires are regularly thrown away.
- 5. ongoing presence of invasive species, in particularly rushes — which has been conveyed to the lake restoration representative — and perhaps loosestrife, though any id of that plant would require further consideration. There are also unwanted cedar trees getting bigger among the cottonwood tree grove on the west side where no new trees have been planted.
- 6. many little rocks have been left behind at several places by contractor's placing rocks into the lake; certainly these rocks will not be something suited to future mowing or establishing a good cover of turf.
- 7. a park closure which was perhaps, though not knowingly conveyed in a public media, that includes streets and significant areas of the northern portion of the park. Such a significant closure might have been prominently conveyed in any and all public venues to inform the public.
- 8. obvious 4x4 or motorcycle routes in the northwest woods directly north of the pond in Levi Carter park, where motorized vehicles continue to occur, despite any such vehicles not allowed according to city statutes.
- 9. languishing occurrence of wooden laths placed at one particular place for the so-called renovation project, which continue to be present at the northeast portion of the lake, though the rock-based construction activity in the waters of Carter Lake is apparently finished.
- 10. ongoing occurrence of piles of trash at the west portion of the park, west of the railroad tracks.
These obvious examples of park conditions were really nothing new, but several things were ongoing as they have repeatedly occurred.
Conditions and use of the park would certainly improve if some of these items were suitably addressed.