Members of Public Speak Out Against Removing Small Park in Keota

KEOTA – During the Aug. 5 meeting, members of the Keota City Council informally discussed how constant vandalism at the small park had required costly repairs, and talked about possibly removing the park and using the land for affordable housing development. The Aug. 19 meeting of the council drew a large crowd, many of which were there to voice their objections to the decision to get rid of the small park. During this meeting, public comment was limited to two minutes per person, rather than the usual three minutes. Although council members have responded to public comment in the past, including an extensive conversation during the Aug. 5 meeting, the agenda specified that the council would not interact with or respond to the public following comments.

One attendee stated he was disappointed at the talk of getting rid of the small park. He stated that having two parks helps Keota stand out when compared to other cities and that a lot of people utilize the small park. He stated he had heard talk about how the city needed to grow bigger or die and said he disagreed with that. He stated he likes how small Keota is and that he didn’t want to lose that small community feeling. He suggested banning vandals from the park for one month.

Another attendee stated that, in the future, he would like the establishment of a committee made of citizen volunteers to be allowed to maintain and raise funds for the small park. He stated that he would vote against housing development at the small park’s location if he could. A third attendee stated she was confused about when the city council decided to get rid of the park, stating that no one in the public knew about this decision. She stated the council should listen to the public and shouldn’t make decisions privately. After the meeting, the News-Review asked City Administrator Alycia Horras about this; Horras stated that the discussion about removing the small park took place during a work session before a council meeting, which the public was free to attend. The attendee also said that members of the city should use their personal accounts when talking to people on Facebook instead of hiding behind the city account.

One attendee, who lives across the street from the small park, asked what the council defined as affordable housing, asking if they planned to build apartments or single dwelling homes. She stated that she wanted the area to stay a park and questioned why the council would use city money to replace park facilities that already exist. The attendee brought up a Facebook argument that had occurred publicly before the meeting. A Keota resident posted the new public comment rules on her Facebook page, resulting in several replies criticizing the council, with one commentator saying “We all know it is what the board wants it is going to get. The hell with the ppl living in the community.” and another saying “When u silence the people, you do not have the people’s best interest in mind. Sad.”

Councilman Mike Bender responded “I couldn’t be more disappointed with the knowledge or lack there of with these comments!” When a person replied that “every person has a right to express how they would like to see their taxes spent,” Bender replied “I agree every person has a right to be heard regarding tax money, however some people don’t understand and just throw things out there! We have allowed citizens comments always but understanding it might be a large group tonight we changed it to 2 minutes instead of 3 or 5 because nobody wants to be there till midnight or to late!!! I fell the manner of my comment was justified with the fact many people want to throw the council under the bus!! Most of these people are going on hear say and not facts!!! So my response was 100% justified and I stand with it!!”

At the meeting, the attendee said that the council should stay as long as needed, because they were voted in by the citizens and the concerns of citizens are important. She said that the council should be more respectful. She also suggested adding a pickleball court at the old pool, saying that it looked bad to have an unmaintained lot next to the golf course. Another attendee agreed with this, saying that there are three feet tall weeds at the old pool and that it reflects poorly on Lagos Acres. He asked if the city could sell the old pool land back or turn it into something new. He pointed out that the city bought the park land from the United Church of Faith and asked if there was a stipulation that it would remain a park.

Another attendee stated the city council can’t blame people for being upset when they are told something that they didn’t know about was a done deal. He stated he didn’t agree with getting rid of the park and that it could be used for a dog park or parking for the library. He asked if the city could go to the parents of vandals and hold them responsible.

Another attendee stated that, if the park was eliminated, there are people who would want bricks from the old high school buried at the park. One attendee asked, if the city cannot focus on one park, how will they focus on two? He stated that he wants to see more housing and that Keota needs to either grow or it will deteriorate like other small towns. He asked the city council to keep off of Facebook messenger and instead talk to people directly. One attendee stated that there are already a lot of houses sitting empty in Keota and that the city should focus on other problems, like repairing damaged sidewalks.

During the meeting proper, the council discussed hiring Waterhouse to assess the ground at the small park and determine if it can be viably developed for housing. Councilman Curt Burroughs called the large crowd at the meeting premature, because the city council did not know what could even be done with the park space. He noted that the city did not know if the land could be used for a dog park or pickleball court yet either. Bender noted that tennis courts at the park had to be removed in the past because of large cracks, and that housing could not be built if that problem persisted. At the end of the meeting, Mayor Tony Cansler stated that the city had a lot to consider, and that the pavilion at the small park would be taken down for safety reasons, due to the damage to the roof making it unstable.