Council sets seasonal park hours and hears park camera plan after costly vandalism incidents

The City Council approved an ordinance setting seasonal operating hours for city parks and received a staff briefing on a plan to install security cameras in selected park locations.

Parks staff recommended changing park hours to 5 a.m.–11 p.m. from March 1 through Oct. 31 and 6 a.m.–9 p.m. from Nov. 1 through Feb. 28 to reduce vandalism, theft and unsafe activity. Staff said peer cities use seasonal hours and described recent vandalism at Greer Park and other sites that required costly repairs; the presenter noted the Greer Park incident cost approximately $86,000 to rewire.

Council also heard a staff report on a proposed Verkada camera deployment with a current budget of about $36,000 to cover several parks, including KidZone, McMahon Park, Elmer Thomas Park and the aquatic center. Staff said cameras are motion‑triggered and feed to the desk sergeant and supervisors; during the day, park supervisory staff can view feeds and the on‑call parks staff can access them on weekends.

A motion to adopt the parks‑hours ordinance passed 7‑0. Council members praised Parks & Recreation for improvements and urged continued attention to enforcement and accountability for vandalism.

Why it matters: the ordinance sets enforceable hours for park use, which staff says will reduce vandalism and associated repair costs; camera coverage aims to deter crimes and assist parks and police in investigations.

What's next: staff will continue camera installations as budgeted and return with implementation updates; enforcement and community‑based programs (like adopt‑a‑park) were discussed as complementary measures.