Smothers Park may soon no longer be open 24 hours. The City Commission is considering an ordinance that would close the park from at 12:30-5 a.m. daily, with officials saying it’s an effort to curb vandalism and vagrancy in the area.
Specifically, a portion of the ordinance reads “there has been an increase in illegal activity occurring at night in Smothers Park which has caused damage to the park facilities and resulted in the need for greater police presence in the park.”
City Manager Nate Pagan said Smothers has been a 24-hour park since it first opened.
“(Anyone is currently) entitled to be at the park 24 hours because it’s technically open, and so this will give us the opportunity to better maintain and reduce vandalism and damage to the facility,” Pagan said of the proposed change.
At Tuesday’s City Commission meeting, Pagan and Assistant Parks Director Kerry Bodenheimer said that 12:30 a.m. specifically was chosen due to “past precedent and activities.”
Pagan said there could be exceptions made if the proposal is approved. For example, should a 24-hour fundraiser or an event with an approved permit be hosted there, the City could be willing to accommodate the hours.
Should the ordinance be passed, Legion Park and English Park will become the only parks that are technically open to the public 24 hours a day. Legion Park’s basketball and street soccer courts are open 24 hours, while English Park’s accessible shoreline and launching ramp are also open around the clock.
A second portion of the ordinance would broaden the training requirements needed to serve alcoholic beverages on park property. Pagan noted that the state no longer offers TIPS training — which was the baseline training outlined in the ordinance.
“The ordinance has been changed to more general language, stating that any appropriate training is dictated by the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control,” he said.
Commissioners only heard the first reading of the ordinance Tuesday. They could vote after a second reading later this month.
