Public engagement on park improvements sign of healthy community

Every year, local governments put on open houses for residents to learn about upcoming projects and give input on how those projects should go.

I’ve always wondered how many people actually attend those things, so last week, I decided to see for myself. The city of Gillette was hosting an open house to get feedback on the future of Dalbey Memorial Park. I thought there’d be 10 to 12 people there.

After all, it’s just a park. How many people actually care enough to give their opinion on something that’s a want, not a need?

But when I pulled into the parking lot at the Campbell County Public Library, I was confused by the number of cars. By how crowded it was, I thought there was a library board meeting or an author presentation or something.

Because no way would there be this many people for an open house for Dalbey Memorial Park, right?

Wrong. I was pleasantly surprised to find out many of those cars were there for that open house. There must have been at least 40 people in attendance.

It was crowded, and it was beautiful.

Now, in my experience, when you get that many people at a government function, it’s because of something political or related to a culture war issue. But for the most part, that’s not what this was about.

There were senior citizens and teenagers, anglers and baseball parents. Many of the people came because they had concerns. They showed up because they cared.

A community cannot thrive if it doesn’t have people who care. Gillette has been blessed to have hundreds of individuals over the last several decades who care.

While some people raised their voices, it reminded me of a quote from my favorite TV show, “Parks and Recreation.”

“What I hear when I’m being yelled at is people caring loudly at me,” Leslie Knope says in one of the show’s early episodes.

There should be some level of decorum in meetings like this, of course, but I would much rather see this level of passion instead of an apathetic public that doesn’t show up to make their voices heard, then complains on Facebook a couple of weeks later.

I hope everyone in that room walked away from that open house more informed than when they walked in, understanding that all of the suggestions were merely that: suggestions. The city has not made any decisions on what to improve upon, that’s why they are looking for feedback.

Should the city dredge the Fishing Lake? Should a mini golf course and pickleball courts be added? Would food truck hookups and movie nights turn that park into even more of a community space than it is now? Would the park be better off if no improvements were made?

We’ll see. One thing I do know is, no matter what’s done, people will keep using that park.

A few days after this open house, I went for a run around the Fishing Lake. There were soccer teams playing. People were walking their dogs, kids were fishing on the bridge and the dock.

It was crowded, and it was beautiful.