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Date: 4/21/2021
SPRINGFIELD – More than 100 residents joined forces to clean a long-closed city-owned tennis court on Acorn Street on April 17.
Organized by community activists and City Council Candidates Devin Streeter and Jynai McDonald, along with City Councilors Justin Hurst and Victor Davila, the volunteers removed weeds, brush and trees what had grown through the asphalt court.
Carrying chainsaws, rakes and hoes, the volunteers removed years’ worth of invasive plants. City Councilor Tracye Whitfield also joined the effort, as did local organizations such as the International Association of Firefighters Local 648, Home City Roofing, Treecycle Arborists, Boys & Girls Club Family Center, Harmonics Garden, Daisy Troop Girl Scouts, Beta Beta Chapter of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity and Delta Chi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated.
McDonald explained to Reminder Publishing the court was active 30 years ago – her grandfather gave lessons there – but has been closed for many years. She is currently working with the city’s Community Preservation Committee on an application to use community preservation funds to restore and re-open the courts. Originally the grant was for $50,000 but she said members of the committee believed that amount may be too low. She is now working with Patrick Sullivan, executive director of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management, on revising the budget, which may go as high as $200,000.
She said Sullivan has said the courts were closed because of a high water table under them, although McDonald added she has seen no evidence of ground water issues at the court.
The cleanup was one of the steps necessary to move forward with the application for Community Preservation funds, McDonald added.
The cleanup effort was not without controversy, however. Hurst posted on Facebook the city had required him and other organizers to fill out a form and pay fees for the cleanup. Hurst posted on Facebook the day before the cleanup, “The city is attempting to put every barrier in place possible to prevent the community from cleaning their own park. They just required a sitting City Councilor to pay $696.97 to clean a park that they have neglected. We have businesses volunteering resources and residents volunteering time to clean a city park and they have the audacity to charge for it! ‘I’ll gladly pay for it Mayor Sarno!’ On my way to the Parks Department now with the check in hand and the permit application.”
Sarno then released a statement to the press. He wrote in a letter addressed to Hurst, “Your Facebook post concerning an event you were organizing for a community cleanup at Acorn Street Park was recently brought to my attention. It is unfortunate that I need to write this response to your false claims and blatant lies that according to you ‘the city is attempting to put every barrier in place possible to prevent the community from cleaning their own park.’
“As you very well know, request of these natures are usually directed to the appropriate city departments for review. In this case the Parks Department and in our efforts as we continue to deal with defeating this COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic to our Office Health and Human Services – for a COVID-19 public health and safety plan for review so that a super spreader does not occur.
“Also, specifically in this case where you claim the city is trying to hinder a city councilor from taking these actions. I must counter these claims:
• The property in question was already initially cleaned up
• Working with and upon the request of the Boys and Girls Club Family Center, Neighborhood, and working with Ward 4 City Councilor Malo Brown, a master plan to revitalize the area in question was put into place pre-COVID-19
• I never asked nor did Park Department officials ask you to be charged for this volunteer cleanup event
“Again, there is a permit process that needs to be filled out for all particular info, and communication and coordination aspects. In addition, Councilor Hurst, after checking in with the Parks Department, it appears that you just submitted your COVID-19 public health and safety plan today, the day before the event, for review.
“Your claim that the Department of Parks, Buildings, and Recreation Management, per my input, is charging you $696.97 to hold this event is a blatant lie at best and nothing more than a political publicity stunt at worst. After inquiring about these claims with the Parks Department it was discovered that, no one from the Parks Department filled out these cost expenses and that you yourself inputted these numbers – in the section that clearly states ‘Parks Dept. Use Only”. In addition, I have been told that when an employee from the Parks Department tried to catch up with you after you dropped off your park permit, they tried to return the check to you and you refused to take it.
“In closing, I am asking myself, do you really want to do good for the community and neighborhood or just manufacture another made-up controversy/conflict for self-political attention to cover the fact that you did not follow the proper permitting and COVID-19 public health and safety plan accordingly and in a timely fashion. Just plain ridiculous.”
McDonald said a mattress was removed from the courts prior to the cleanup and the grass in front of the courts had been mowed.
Hurst responded to Sarno’s comments by stating, “Let’s be clear about a few things that Mayor Sarno recently put out in a press release:
• If the city initially cleaned Acorn Street Park like the mayor said in his press release, then why do the pictures below not reflect this. They were taken today!
• If Mayor Sarno had a master plan to revitalize this park, then why is it not listed anywhere in the FY 2022-2026 Capital Improvement Plan.
• Finally, as a City Councilor, I shouldn’t have to fill out a permit to clean our own parks. The permit I was told to fill out required a payment. I’m not sure how else to interpret the email from the mayor’s office.
“In fact, it shouldn’t have even gotten to this point. When I brought the condition of this park to his attention he should have cleaned it the same way he has cleaned every other park.”