City Parks Considers Closing Drive in Santa Rita Park Due to Past Incidents

A movement to close Park Drive at Santa Rita Park surfaced at the Parks and Recreation Board meeting Thursday in the McNease Convention Center.

“The last few months we’ve heard of a couple incidences,” said Carl White, parks and recreation director, “a suicide and a car set on fire.”

Due to this, many in the surrounding neighborhood has asked for the drive to be closed.

Joan Mertz, President of the Greater Santa Rita Homeowner's Association, mentioned plans that the association have for future renovations to the park.

“We really think that this is a time for Santa Rita to start with the changing.” said Mertz, “We want to partner with the city on the fixing of our park.”

The proposed change is either a chain or a pipe gate to keep vehicles out, however concerns were raised as to whether or not it would inhibit the fire or police department.

“Putting that gate there would not affect or hamper our patrol of the park,” said Ed Kading, a patrolling officer of the Santa Rita Area.

He explained that the vegetation in the park is thick enough that even now without the gate they still have to leave their vehicles.

“Every now and then we will get out and walk that part anyway,” he said.

Fire Marshall Ross Coleman added the fire department’s concerns.

“We prefer a chain that everybody can agree that they [firefighters] can cut,” he said, “so long as the width can accommodate the truck.”

Coleman also explained the need for the drive at a potential later date should a fire break out, “this is one of the parks with more vegetation so we’d need to get to that place back there,” he said, adding that quick access would be the key to prevent major property damage.

Neither of the departments want a permanent closure of the drive.

No one at the meeting was against the gate, but Kading mentioned that he didn’t think it would make much a difference as far as the reasons for complaints.

“A couple of the instances have happened there in the past months, and I don’t think a gate would have prevented that,” he explained.

The motion to close the drive through the park passed unanimously, and the matter will go before City Council at a later date.