Lumsden Park to close on Oct.1 for restoration

Beginning Oct.1, Lumsden Park will be closed to the general public, as approved by the Placerville City Council at Tuesday’s meeting. Plans are to restore and improve the park with the intent to reopen it for the 26th annual Fishing Derby on April 13, 2013.

For several years,the park at the end of Wiltse Road in Placerville has been an illegal campsite for some of Placerville’s homeless population. With the new legal encampment, Hangtown Haven, on Broadway available to the homeless, the Placerville Police Department has been busy relocating transients out of the park and restoration of the facilities can now be started.

“Neighbors and business owners on Broadway are very much in favor of the closing of the park,” said Vice mayor Wendy Mattson. “It will help break up patterns of behavior that are unhealthy. There are many benefits to this temporary closure.”

Scheduled park improvements include restoration of the existing bathroom facilities, re-establishment of turf areas, foot trail restoration, brush clearing, playground resurfacing and the installation of a permanent entrance gate.

All improvements with the exception of the new locking entrance gate were included as part of the 2012-2013 Recreation and Parks budget and approved by the Placerville Recreation and Parks Commission. At Tuesday’s Placerville City Council meeting, the Council authorized $4,000 from the Contingency for Unforeseen Expenditures for the fabrication and installation of the new entrance gate.

The gate will be opened and closed by a combination of city staff and volunteers. An additional part-time salary expense in the amount of $2,440 is anticipated for this task. For the remainder of the  2012-2013 year, the cost is projected to be about $800 and will be allocated from existing part-time park maintenance accounts. The cost of opening and closing the gate for a 12 month period will be included in the 2013-2014 Annual Operating Budget for Lumsden Park, according to Steve Youel, director of Community Services.

The entrance gate will be locked from dusk to dawn as required by city ordinance to deter vehicles from coming into the park. A Knox-Box Rapid Entry System will be used to give emergency responders quick access when the gate is locked.

“This is an important asset for the city that we need to regain control of,” said Mayor Mark Acuna.

The motion to temporarily close the park and allocate $4,000 from the Contingency for Unforseen Expenditures for the fabrication and installation of the gate was approved 4-0 by the City Council.

Contact Wendy Schultz at 530-344-5069 or wschultz@mtdemocrat.net. Follow @WSchultzMtDemo. 

Wendy Schultz

Wendy Schultz has been a columnist for the Mountain Democrat since 2002 and a staff writer since 2005. She covers Placerville city events and City Council meetings, writes feature stories and reports on things of interest in El Dorado County.

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