Resident critical of winding park road
<p>Joanne Newman said she fears driving City Service Road in the winter, whether she’ll have access to Highway 37.</p>
Joanne Newman has seen a lot from her home at 302 City Service Road, adjacent to Riverfront Park.
Admittedly, from her close vantage point, she has had a front-row seat to occurrences at the park, some she has enjoyed and others, she admits, not so enjoyable.
“I’ve lived here for 22 years, and what they’ve done to this park is just terrible,” Newman said. “All these 90-degree turns has made the park tough to (navigate). Sure, it all looks good on paper, but it will be difficult in the winter.”
Newman said she is already dreading exiting City Service Road onto Highway 37 in the wintertime.
“I used to be able to get a running start in the wintertime to get up the hill. With all the turns, I don’t think I’ll be able to do that,” Newman said. “I just wonder whether the (big city) trucks will be able to make it either.”
Newman, who expressed her displeasure with the new park roadway to City Council members on Monday, said she also had to call someone to come and get her because of the recent flooding at the park.
“I couldn’t even walk home,” Newman said. “I had to call someone to come and get me because of the lake on the road. It’s a lot of money for all this.”
Recent heavy rains have flooded the southwest corner of the road into the park.
According to Mayor Doug Roll, who on Monday, said he discussed the flooded area with local Environmental Protection Agency representative Mike Cirian.
“There’s supposed to be a drain there,” Roll said Monday. “We’re thinking they may have changed the (landscaping) a little accommodate the big trees they wanted to keep there. We’re going to get this figured out.”
City and county crews were to begin paving the Riverfront Park roads with asphalt on Thursday, but because of the rains have delayed the project until next week.
“They’re just going to put off the paving until next week,” Roll said.
As for snow removal on City Service Road, City Administrator Jim Hammons allayed Newman’s concerns.
“That will probably be one of the best maintained roads in town,” Hammons said. “We’re going to need to our trucks in and out of there. I told her that,” Hammons said of the city garage that is located farther down the road from Newman’s home.