Fruitland board approves new park rules

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“I’m going to vote against because it is not restrictive enough on bicycles,” Schuller said. “It’s better, but it’s not what I want.”

“Yeah, and I want to be 6 foot tall … but that ain’t going to happen, either,” quipped council member Ed Pierson.

In the end, three members of the council — Pierson, Vicky Cox and Ken Bishop — all felt the draft was sufficient and voted to pass the ordinance on its first reading. Schuller cast the lone dissenting vote.

Ordinance No. 507 specifically spells out what city parks and parks belonging to Payette County Recreation District within the city can be used for. Also, the ordinance defines who can use the parks at what times of day and what type of conduct can be used in the parks and penalties should those rules be disobeyed.

Schuller said his biggest problem with the ordinance was that it was not restrictive enough concerning the use of bicycles and skateboards in parks situated in the downtown portion of Fruitland. Schuller said he has witnessed too many instances where bicyclists and skate boarders have come too close to other people using the park’s sidewalks.

In another issue involving parks within the city, the Fruitland City Council ordered Public Works Supervisor Jerry Campbell to begin work on removing several cottonwood trees from a park situated in the Crestview Subdivision in the city’s southwest end.

A citizen’s request brought in front of the council at its July 13 meeting alerted council members to a problem concerning the trees. Alan Finch approached the council saying once the cottonwoods bloom, they spread their cotton throughout the subdivision, making it look like it is snowing from June through August.

“The litter from these trees chokes plants and grass and makes air conditioning units nonefficient,” Finch told the council. “I would like to see the city bring those trees down and put something in their place.”

Several of Finch’s neighbors from the subdivision were also present at the meeting but did not have to testify.

Campbell told council members he had looked into the problem and was prepared to hire a firm to remove those cottonwood trees, while replacing the missing trees with new trees that are already 12 feet to 15 feet tall.

Campbell said the city would do as much of the work as it could in the park, but the part of cutting the trees down and removing the brush from the trees would be best left to a firm that deals with tree removal.

He said the firm he contacted would cut the trees into 8 foot lengths, which would be manageable for city crews to handle. As well, he said, the firm would either remove or grind up the large brush from the trees.

Councilman Bishop asked if there would be any value to the leftover wood, but Campbell said it could be more of a problem trying to sell the wood, rather than just disposing of it.

Campbell suggested he have the firm grind the stumps to below ground level, where crews could then poison the remaining portion of the stumps and cover it with soil.

Total cost to the city for the removal of the trees and the planting of new trees will be approximately $2,130, which Campbell suggested the city use out of State Revenue Sharing.

In other action, the council agreed to a new contract for a school resource officer, pending the approval of the Fruitland School Board. The City Council and the School Board will meet in a combined meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 10 in the Fruitland School District’s Administration Building. The council also accepted a JAG grant for approximately $20,000, which will go to aid in the purchase of a new police cruiser for the city. Finally, the council tentatively approved the approximately $12.6 million budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.