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enable those who do - -is an insult to the dedication and decency of those <br /> who selflessly have worked long, hard, unpaid hours so others, such as the <br /> accusers, may have the privilege of enjoying the fruits of their labor. <br /> Such allegations have nothing to do with the genesis of this park, its <br /> purpose or the problem this committee should be addressing. <br /> There is nothing complex about why neighbors were led to request a <br /> temporary closure. The park has been taken by drug dealers and addicts, <br /> by prostitutes who are addicts, by rapists, by alcoholics, by litterers and <br /> vandals who have no purpose there other than personal and public abuse- - <br /> euphemistically referred to by some as personal or individual freedom. <br /> Moreover, these irresponsible users are coming in numbers greater than <br /> the park and the neighborhood can tolerate. <br /> Not only are clearly visible and clearly stated parks rules being <br /> regularly, flagrantly violated, but city, state and federal laws, as well - -with <br /> virtually no enforcement. <br /> In August, when, out of desperation and despair, neighbors raised <br /> the issue of closure with me, I agreed to take their request to the Parks <br /> director together with my own need for assurance that this would be a <br /> temporary closure, and that what had happened to West University Park <br /> would not happen to Scobert. Over the course of a couple of weeks, a <br /> representative group, formed through proper city notification and <br /> endorsed by the Whiteaker Community Council, agreed to closure. Now, <br /> as a new committee forms to seek solutions to "problems" in the park, it <br /> t ie is essential from the outset, especially for those short-time neighbors and <br /> self - styled anarchists who are potential members, to understand that the <br /> request for closure purported to address illegal activity and to allow the <br /> park's vegetation to recover. Period. <br /> Moreover, it is important for all members to bear in mind that this <br /> park has a sixteen year history of inappropriate, abusive, illegal use. <br /> Anticipating that and acknowledging restrictions in budget, size, <br /> character and proximity to neighbors made typical park features, such as <br /> restrooms, picnic shelters and conventional play equipment infeasible <br /> and inappropriate. The park is as much defined by what it is not as by <br /> what it is. <br /> Having agreed to pursue closure as a response to an innocent, if <br /> desperate, request from besieged neighbors, I find myself as a city <br /> employee, ironically ineligible for membership in what has become a <br /> politicized city advisory committee. <br /> Therefore, I respectfully request to serve the committee as <br /> horticultural /historical advisor. <br /> A grace note to the revitalized commercial node at 4th and Blair and <br /> included with the Blair District on the National Register of Historic - <br /> Places, Scobert Park should be recognized rather for the rich and <br /> enriching character of its plantings and for the dedicated, sustained hard <br /> 4 <br />