Mitchell Park West Neighbors

Thanks for the info, Mark. 

Pat

It seems a radical group or person is trying to subvert an open decision making process for the court lighting. They have put up posters throughout the park inviting people to attend a meeting about the lights on the wrong date.

THE MEETING IS ON JUNE 3! It is at the Westside Multigenerational Facility, Cahil Senior Center at 715 West 5th Street in Tempe, beginning at 6:30 PM. Please come.

What would you say to a person who chooses to live right next to an airport, then writes letters complaining about excessive airplane noise? This argument is ludicrous! If you don't want to look at a park every day, then you probably shouldn't live right next to one. What's next? Are these same people going to start making complaints about too much noise coming from the dog park? Should we get rid of something that scores of people enjoy and appreciate every day, just to pacify half a dozen complainers?

I use the park almost every single day, and I am grateful that these lights exist. Most usership of the park happens in the evening, when people are not at work. Most of the people using the park are there for the dog-run area and the basketball court. If the courts are not well lit, people will stop using them in the evenings. This will lead to a drastic reduction in overall usership. This is a bad thing. A park that is well lit attracts more people. More light and more people both contribute to the park being a safer place to be after sunset. Without the lights, this park will attract transients, drug users, and other types of people who don't want to be seen. Not only would this be bad for the park, it would be bad for the whole neighborhood.

Maybe a good compromise can be reached. Why doesn't the city just install a good ol' on-off switch and a sign the asks users to turn off the lights when they are done? This would cost almost nothing to accomplish, and I bet many people actually will turn off the lights when they are done. And even if they don't, those who live beside the park can just take a peaceful, leisurely stroll over to the court to shut them off themselves. Everybody wins.  

Actually, this person is supporting the open decision-making process by encouraging people to attend the meeting.  There was some confusion about the date because of an e-mail suggesting the meeting would be the 4th, while the city subsequently decided to have it the 3rd. 

Pat