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To City of Eugene Parks Maintenance ATTN: Bob Hammitt On Thursday, October 5 1995, the West University Neighbors got together to discuss a recurrent problem that has grown, little by little, year by year, until it has become an unbearable situation for the citizens of the area. The problem stems from the yearly influx of transients and street kids from all points around the country, these people have created a climate of fear and aggravation for local business owners and residents alike through the use of aggressive panhandling to trespassing,drug dealing,theft and other forms of public indecency, They have turned a quiet residential neighborhood into a noisy,dangerous and crime-ridden place where honest people fear to travel. The problems which arose on 13th Ave by Alder were quickly handled by police. Their capable and efficient methods were useful in taking back that area. Unfortunately, this insidious problem is not quite so easy to stamp out. Like bedraggled Bedouins, street kids simply pulled up stakes, rolled up their tents, slung their drums on their backs and moved into the West University Neighborhood Park on E. 14th Ave. There they took up residence. The park is now filthy, filled with trash,clothes, and excrement (both dog and human). It has become unfit and unsafe for use by the residents for which it was intended. At the meeting of the West University Neighbors, this problem was discussed among the residents, representatives of the parks department,and the Eugene police department. The conclusions reached were that the park must 1) be taken back for the use of the residents and made clean and safe for such use, and 2) be preserved for use as a park. We do not want the park destroyed. It is a useful and integral part of the neighborhood. Some of the suggested solutions seemed to us as very viable. Among these were the use of the park land for the building of -a police safety office like the one in Whiteaker -low-income or handicap accessible housing -more basketball courts and other public recreation items to make the area more attractive for use by the residents and less by drug dealers All of the above changes that require the building of structures would be done on a leased and temporary basis. The park land itself would be retained and at such time the parks department, West University Neighbors,and the police department feel that the problems that required that action have passed, the park will be restored as a green place to be used by the neighbors. To that end, we request that the park be posted with new regulations limiting its use, early closure, and if possible, temporary complete closure during the trouble months. We do not wish to lose this park but in essence it is already lost to us. We believe that in the interest of public safety and future use that temporary closure of the park and immediate rethinking of the land use is necessary if not imperative. Action must be taken or the problem will only grow larger,more unwieldy and less likely to be controllable. These actions stated above will give the police and the neighbors the power to live and work. Sincerely, oTantag lion 630 E. 14th Ave Apt 1 Eugene, OR 97401