Camelot subdivision residents want city help in purchasing and installing playground equipment in Camelot Park, just west of I-15, near the Antelope Drive exit.
Carolyn Kimball, spokesman for the group, said residents have collected $1,000 in recent years for park improvements."We are in a dilemma," she said. "We have collected this money in good faith," indicating that the group must pay taxes on the interest it earns. "We need something in that park."
The park is a long narrow strip separated from the freeway by a sound barrier wall. It is closer to most Camelot residents than Vae View Park on the west side of Main Street. Children have to cross Main Street to reach that park.
Joan Harris, another Camelot resident, said her informal poll reveals that most kids would like to have a big spiral slide in the park. Those slides cost about $6,000. She said the $1,000 would buy only a couple of small pieces of equipment, though at least that would be a start.
"It's probably something we need to look at in a future work meeting," said Lyndia Graham, a City Council member.
"You've brought it to our attention in the proper way, but it's difficult to react tonight," said Brent Allen, another council member.
Council member Debra Ledkins said her new assignment in the city includes the parks and promised to look into the matter.
Camelot Park's existence was the result of citizen support and work. Kimball said there are still many residents and Boy Scouts willing to plant more trees and do other service work in the park. She said citizens now police it for litter and other problems.
- In a somewhat related matter, the city is examining how best to take care of a small island of grass that UDOT put at the corner of Robbins and Antelope Drive when it reworked the intersection with a stoplight earlier this year.
UDOT only installed manual sprinklers on the island; the city prefers an automatic system. Barton said the city is investigating some sort of trade with UDOT to solve the problem.
Camelot residents also expressed a willingness to help in the upkeep of the traffic island, if necessary.