A resident’s call for maintenance to the walking trail at Donaldson Park has Celina Aldermen considering ways to prevent trail damage.
Resident Jason Upton said the walking trail is walkable, but it desperately needs new gravel. Upton said he believes most of the damage is caused by people using the trail at night.
“I would like to suggest that we start locking it again at night at 10:30 at night, whatever it used to be,” Upton said. “I think that would prevent people from going down in there and driving the trail in their vehicles, wallaring out the holes and that kind of thing. If that’s what’s happening. I’ve not seen it, but it seems that that’s what’s happening.”
During the discussion, it was mentioned that people are accessing the trail with their vehicle by cutting the cable fence located at the end of Jackson Street. Mayor Luke Collins said the city does need to do something to prevent the trail from further damage.
“I didn’t know they were cutting the cable, but we can put a camera there, and when they cut the cable, then we’ll arrest them for it, and they can take it to the judge,” Collins said.
Upton suggested that if the city repairs the cable fence to not block off the field next to the trail.
“It’s real handy to go down to the end of Jackson Street and park them in there when you’ve got big events,” Upton said. “So if you fix that cable, fix it to where you can still make it almost like a gate.”
Collins said his concern is that if someone is willing to cut a cable, then they are likely to cut a chain that is locking a gate. The aldermen agreed that the board needs to go to the park and check out the trail to see what can be done.
