Homeless discussion leads to Gillespie Park upgrades

It started as a simple request to relocate some tables and a grill at Gillespie Park in March — a request that was initially denied. Over the past month, however, that request has morphed into a series of city-approved upgrades currently underway at the neighborhood park.

Although issues associated with a growing homeless population in the park sparked the problem, they provided city staff and residents the opportunity to discuss the future of the shared public realm. As a result, they came up with a series of small improvements designed to benefit the neighborhood, not just make it difficult for homeless individuals to congregate. 

“It shows how neighborhoods can work with the city to get these things done,” said Linda Holland, president of the Gillespie Park Neighborhood Association. “You don’t have to go down and slam your shoe on the commission table and say, ‘We demand this, we have to have this, we have to spend money on this.’”

At the May 4 City Commission meeting, commissioners received a report from the Parks, Recreation and Environmental Protection advisory board. One item in that report was a denied request to relocate tables from the pavilion area of Gillespie Park — which, as recently as December, was cited as a catalyst for crime and sanitation issues by some residents.

At that PREP board meeting, Holland and resident Linda Jacob also discussed the importance of establishing more space for a children’s reading program that takes place at the police substation located near the pavilion. They hoped relocating concrete tables and the aging grill would help make the space more inviting, but the PREP board voted down the idea in a 3-2 vote. 

But the commission disagreed, ultimately voting in favor of relocating the materials. That created an opportunity for Gillespie Park residents — represented by two neighborhood associations working in tandem — to collaborate with Public Works General Manager Todd Kucharski on implementing the changes. It turned out, the issues at the park went beyond homelessness.

Holland said the homeless problem, although pronounced in the second half of 2014, had become overblown to some degree. The problem wasn’t necessarily the homeless population itself but a smaller criminal element that associated with the larger crowds at the park. So far this year, she said, things have been much more peaceful.

“Things come and go in waves,” Holland said. “We’re not having issues in the park now. There haven’t been for a number of months.”

The City Commission decision was initially misreported by some as a removal of the tables altogether, similar to the removal of benches at Five Points Park after homelessness issues arose there. On the contrary, Holland says — the changes will actually add more tables to the park, placed in areas where they’re likely to get more use.

“One of the things they’re going to do is add some new picnic tables down by the playground area in the shade,” Holland said. “It’s going to be a pleasant place for people to come and have legitimate gatherings and picnics.” 

Holland, who met with Kucharski and Original Gillespie Park Neighborhood Association President Lee DeLieto Jr. last week, was enthusiastic about the changes coming to the park as a result of their discussions. 

“This meeting with Todd was one of the best on-site meetings I’ve been to in years,” Holland said.

Kucharski was also happy about how fruitful the meeting was, attributing the productivity to the residents’ level of engagement. He said residents throughout the city should feel welcome to reach out to staff if they see room for improvements in their neighborhood park.

“We’re a maintenance group, maintaining the park for the public,” Kucharski said. “When we get feedback on things they’d like to see or enhance, it makes it easier for us, because then we don’t have to guess.”

Table Talk: What's changing at Gillespie Park?

The two existing concrete tables will be replaced with five new wooden picnic tables. Concrete pads near the pavilion will be replaced with grass, making the area more consistent. The city will also remove three flagpoles in the northeast corner of the park, which had become hidden by tree growth, installing a new one near the pavilion. Another one of those flagpoles will be used to house a donated birdhouse for purple martins.

Mouse over the map below to explore these changes.