Private Parks?

[Jim O'Bryan]

Has the city ever given any thought to making Lakewood Park and/or Lakewood Park private for residents only?

Might be the answer to numerous things including policing, keeping it clean, building the brand,etc.

All you need is a driver's license, piece of mail or pool pass to get in. Lakewood Woman's Pavillion would still be available to outside groups that want to rent it.

Move to Lakewood, and get acres of private parks on the Lake.

Make it easier to the guards. Trouble maker spotted, ask to see the license, excuse me sir, this is a private park. Should no one call attention to themselves, they might not get "noticed."

[ryan costa]

There are no license plates on my shoes. heh heh heh.

[Lynn Farris]

You know Jim, during the blighted chilli cook off, I spoke with a lady who had brought her two children to Lakewood. They had taken two buses to get to the park. She said it was a very special treat for her children to get to come to Lakewood and it seemed like quite an ordeal to get here. She told me how much they loved to come to our park. I was very touched by how much it meant to them and how we tend to take it for granted.

Then, on July 3, I was having dinner at the Winking Lizard on Coventry and heard a discussion behind me of young adults wanting to know how to get to Lakewood Park. I gave them directions and they were excited to come the next day for the 4th of July.

Our park is a huge selling feature for Lakewood. We want outsiders to come and see how special Lakewood is and move here. Maybe we need better Policing of the park, but the solution in my humble opinion isn't to not allow visitors.

I think our park is a great selling feature of our city.

[ryan costa]

Turning the parks into a private club is a little harsh. Public clubbing is much more egalitarian.

Do police still carry night sticks? A few jabs to the ribs should keep most troublemakers from blighting up the parks. You know...teenagers broadcasting rap music from their ipods and car speakers. wild dogs. cuban high rollers.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Lynn

You have hit on a couple very interesting points and I agree with all of them.

Where does the money come from for more policing at the park?

We have found this year that while residents want safer streets they are not willing to walk them even in a light hearted way. So we need more police for the bars, the westend, the east end, bird town, now the parks. Yet people seem unwilling to raise taxes for such things.

I see a little problem coming.

The parks being a great asset, and people love them. Do they love them enough to move into Lakewood and help pay for the overhead. Or do they just want to come and use them, litter in them, tag some walls and leave?

Read my post one more time. While I say residents only I never mention enforcement until trouble comes. Then the single guard can ask, "do you live in Lakewood?" If the answer is no, then they are asked politely to leave.

Everything I will be throwing against the Observer Walls the next few days is to look at other LOW COST ways we might be able to get a handle on some of the situations before they get out of control.

Simple facts: I witnessed two "incidents" at Lakewood park on the 4th. None of them were created by Lakewoodites. At one point, I am willing to bet that less than 10% of the people in the park on the 4th were from Lakewood. To be honest I am wondering if $30,000 for fireworks for our friends from Parma, Broadview Heights, Cleveland is the best way to spend the money. $30,000 would have bought all the bike racks we talk about, the flowers and watering, a general clean-up of Detroit and fund the study for Savannah's Project.

Could be time to round up the wagons and apply common sense.


FWIW



.

[Lynn Farris]

I have no problems with any trouble maker being asked to leave - resident or not.

[Jeff Endress]

Our park is a huge selling feature for Lakewood. We want outsiders to come and see how special Lakewood is and move here. Maybe we need better Policing of the park, but the solution in my humble opinion isn't to not allow visitors

Lynn, I couldn't agree more.

So how about we give local Realtors "guest passes" that they can distribute to interested home hunters (prequalified of course)?

But seriously, not only would this be unenforceable, but I think, that to whatever degree that we have received Federal or State tax monies that were used for improvements and maintenance, impermissible. Like the Library, on account of the LGSF monies has to allow anyone in, provided they behave themselves.

Jeff

[dl meckes]

Jim-

Did we not just have a member of the Deck who is considering moving to Lakewood report that she and her husband visited Lakewood Park and had a great time?

Did we also not hear some testimony, some time in the past about Mike Deneen who, as a child, visited Lakewood parks before his family moved to Lakewood?

How many people from outside of Lakewood are visitors of the dog and skate parks and think they're great?

They leave saying, "I wish we had something like this in my community."

Our parks are great attractions and great advertising.

Are we to have the barbed-wire topped fences around our parks?

The folks at the parks can already spot the trouble makers. They are the few people who are... making trouble.

[Danielle Masters]

Every year after the 4th I have the same thoughts about Lakewood Park being private. It takes a few days and then I come to my senses. I do get frustrated at the trash that is left over, I get annoyed by rude people at the playground and yes I hate paying for fireworks for other cities populaces. But I do enjoy seeing friends that have since moved away and come back for the 4th because it is so wonderful. I love knowing that families that don't have safe parks in their neighborhoods can come to Lakewood and not worry even if its only for a few hours. I think its great that teenagers from all over come to Lakewood skate park. I don't want Lakewood to be like Rocky River where only residents can get in. We for the most part are not elitests and right now is not the time to start.

[Mark Crnolatas]

Solutions are what we need it appears. By so many of the the posts I've read today and over the past month, we need more police officers, and/or the city needs more policing. East, west, parks, etc.

Yes, I know the city doesn't have the money to hire more officers. So, what can be done about it?

Why not open this thread for suggestions. My concept is fairly well known, so I won't bother to repost it again.


Specific suggestions anyone?

[Shawn Juris]

While Jim's propose seems over the top, I think I'm just hearing that you are looking for an reason to make trouble leave. Simple enough as was stated before, if it's identified as trouble it's no longer welcome. I haven't noticed topics started to bait discussion in the past but this doesn't seem like it's an honest proposal.
As far as the cost incurred for out of towners, the 4th is our marketing/promotions day. Let's not be shortsighted and lose our vision at this point. All this talk about building a brand would be for nought if you begin discussions about fencing off one of the greatest assets or not hosting our marquee event. That in mind, I would certainly be open to the option of finding better ways to take a few bucks off of those that come here for our fine display of fireworks. Whether it's charging for parking or increased fundraising to pay for those items suggested (glow necklaces are a gold mine but the Jaycees need more volunteers). Maybe the event became complacent and needs a capitalistic reassessment. Being a town that paints itself as heavily Democratic, maybe we're missing some dollars that our big business friends in a Westlake or Solon would never overlook. In this instance of the 4th of July, $30,000 for the display should be seed money for a major influx of capital from those that are tourists for the day. I wonder what the income is for a day that starts at 9 with a parade and doesn't end until 11. How much profit is made when it's all done? We drew $400 on glow necklaces, how about the boy scouts or the rec concessions or the kiwannis?
Let Cleveland worry about their lack of Lakefront property, we've already got it, let's not complain about tourists.

[Scott MacGregor]

Hey Jim,

Since the Memphis is going to disappear, let's turn the park into a huge Drive-in theater???? Huh?

....I just wanted to say something nice because everybody else is beating the crap out of you.

Actually, it would be nice to set up a huge screen somewhere down there and show old movies on a warm summer night.

OK, I'll stop talking.

Scott

[Jim O'Bryan]

Hey Jim,

Since the Memphis is going to disappear, let's turn the park into a huge Drive-in theater?

Actually, it would be nice to set up a huge screen somewhere down there and show old movies on a warm summer night.
Scott

Scott

You know one Lakewood resident came up with a similar plan, that added a shopping district, beach, boat docks and homes. The whole thing would have paid for itself and made the city money.

Too complicated, maybe we could just do movies on the house across the street from you like in the old days.

peace



.

[Colleen Wing]

I agree with Jim.
The majority of people that I encounter in Lakewood Park at Kid's Cove do not live in Lakewood.
In fact, earlier this summer I witnessed, along with the Pavilion guard, two bus loads of kids in Rent-a-buses leaving the park. Anyone know what that was about?
It would be easy to issue guest passes by recording visitors information and tracking where the people live for planning purposes.
The 4th is a different story, that is a draw to the community.
Our fees for Winterhurst and the pools for non-residents are very low.
Most area cities don't allow non-resident use, even in communities like Brooklyn.
The mulch at Kid's Cove hasn't been replaced in the five years since I have lived here.
I think open access while monitoring the park's entrance would be a good start.

[Shawn Juris]

Is the kid's cove area in need of maintenance? By mulch do you mean the wood chips that cover the area?