By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Decatur City Council’s latest meeting wound up on a discordant note concerning alleged “dumping” in Hanna-Nuttman Park.
Local resident Vince Milholland, in a lengthy, prepared statement, brought his complaint as the final item of business.
Milholland spoke of “the continuous dumping of rubbish in the park” and that “it’s been three years and the problem has only gotten worse. I am 100% certain that if a private individual was doing this, the problem would not be persisting for three plus years.”
Milholland, Cubmaster of Pack 3070 – some of the Cubs and their parents attended the meeting – was particularly upset about the condition of the trail heads in the park.
“Anyone who has visited the trails since can attest to their beauty and cleanliness,” he said. “Unfortunately, there are actors who have chosen to make visiting said trails as difficult as possible by piling up debris and refuge in front of the trail heads, once again letting the park fall into ruin.”
He quoted various city codes dealing with garbage and rubbish in city parks and noted that in the fall of 2021, Cub Scout Park 3070 “decided to reclaim the old trail system and return the park to its former splendor. It was tough work, especially the arduous process of getting permission to do so, but we ultimately prevailed.”
When he was finished, Councilman Tyler Fullenkamp asked Milholland, “Why don’t you just come to us and ask us to clean it up?”
Milholland said he tried but got no relief.
Operations Manager Jeremy Gilbert explained that two piles of stuff Milholland complained about are stockpiled for the ball diamonds on the REV Complex at the park. “It’s temporary; we are ready to put this one,” he noted.
Fullenkamp said all the diamonds have been dug up for the addition of new tile.
Gilbert acknowledged that “some stuff needs to be hauled out of there,” and said the department would be getting it done soon.
Milholland asked “for a date,” and Gilbert said he couldn’t provide one but the work would get done.
At that point, Milholland left the table in front of the council, said something unintelligible and went back to his seat.