Lawrence Park Public Comment from Christina GranrudAimee Brunckhorst
From: C Granrud <cgranrud@hotmail.com>
Sent: Monday, March 8, 2021 5:48 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: [EXTERNAL] March 8, 2021 City Council meeting re: Lawrence Park
have been a property owner and tax payer in Flathead County for almost 50 years.
Obviously, I want my tax payer dollars to be spent wisely. This proposal to construct
new, additional trail in Lawrence Park is NOT a good use of tax payer money!
Lawrence Park is seeing an increase in use. However, money is NOT being spent to
MAINTAIN the existing development of the Park! The Kalispell City administration has
said that building additional trails in Lawrence Park would somehow aid in discouraging
the use of the Park by homeless, transients which has been a serious and continuing
problem for many years. Nothing could be further from reality! The construction of
additional trails would encourage, and facilitate use of Lawrence Park by homeless, transients!
Especially concerning is the use of Lawrence Park by drug users! A large pile of used needles
and drug paraphernalia was found in Lawrence Park just last fall. The Park is used by
families with children and pets, and family oriented organizations. What IS needed is an
increase in law enforcement patrols and ticket writing.
The litter problem in Lawrence Park is terrible. Tax payer money should be spent on
increasing trash receptacles, and increasing the fines for littering. Several new houses were
constructed adjacent to the Park in the last two years. Their construction crews were sloppy
in weighting down their materials, and the high winds that we have experienced of late blew
these materials across my yard, over the bank, and into the Park! Inexcusable!
Then there is the problem of dogs running wild off -leash. Most people do NOT want strange
dogs running up to them, jumping on them, and potentially scaring someone. Off -leash,
running wild dogs also harass the wildlife. It is not the dogs' fault, it is the fault of their owners!
There is always a certain percentage of any population who think laws and rules are for everyone
else, but NOT for them! Animal Control should be making multiple daily visits to the Park -
never at the same time each day.
Finally, the area of the proposed trail construction is WET. That area next to the ox-bow of the
river is low lying and wet most of the year! It would be a TERRIBLE place to put a trail, and would
be a WASTE OF TAX PAYER MONEY! MAINTAIN WHAT ALREADY EXISTS IN LAWRENCE PARK! DO
NOT WASTE TAX PAYER MONEY!
Christina Granrud
535 East California Street
Kalispell, MT
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