Vandals, vehicles damage Sunderbruch Park

Tory Brecht

Nature lovers, hikers and mountain bikers are drawn to Sunderbruch Park in west Davenport because of its isolated, rural character.

Those same attributes, however, have made the city’s newest park a magnet for four-wheel-drive and all-terrain vehicle riders — some of whom have caused thousands of dollars damage to turf, trees and other park infrastructure.

“It’s pretty disgusting, and it’s been going on for awhile,” 4th Ward Alderman Ray Ambrose said. He and other elected officials have received complaints from neighbors and park users. “We have a lot of people who put a lot of sweat equity into making the park what it is today.”

“Erosion is a big problem,” he said. “It’s very disheartening. We take ownership in that park. We have our sweat and blood in it, and when things like this happened, it just doesn’t make sense why.”

Seve Ghose, Davenport’s new parks and recreation director, said securing the park better will be a priority.

On a recent trip to Sunderbruch, he pointed out 18-inch deep ruts, several trampled saplings and other evidence of damage. Replacing and repairing the turf and trees would likely cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.

This spring, Ghose said, boulders will be strategically placed in the fields surrounding the parking lot — where most of the turf damage occurred. In addition, a bollard post — a metal rod that can be raised and lowered with the use of a key — will be placed in the center of the bridge that leads into the wooded area of the park. This will allow city vehicles to have access, but should keep the ATVs and four-wheel-drive trucks out.

Ghose said he knows ATV and 4X4 enthusiasts are frustrated with the city for not having a dedicated area where they can ride. The parks department is exploring several potential ATV parks, he added.

“We can work on getting them a site, but actions like these aren’t helping their cause,” he said.

Merle Gayman has lived in a small stone house near what is now Sunderbruch Park for more than 70 years. He’s not sure converting the former pasture and cropland was such a good idea.

“It’s been a bigger problem since it’s been a park,” he said. “They brought in a lot of dirt and built it up, put in a road and a parking lot. They’ve got lights on 24 hours a day. I don’t thing they needed all that stuff for it to be a nature park.”

Gayman said vandals, squealing tires and the rumbling of trucks and ATVs have increased the past several years.

“It’s not nature as far as I’m concerned,” he said.

Ambrose is confident that Ghose and his staff will be up to the task of reducing vandalism and illegal riding at Sunderbruch.

“I think Seve has the right ideas, I’m just disappointed it’s taken this long to get to them,” he said. “I’m disappointed the past park director wasn’t very aggressive in addressing the problem.”

Ghys thinks the boulders and bollard post are good ideas, but he’d like to see surveillance cameras installed. Even if they weren’t operational, they’d still be a deterrent, he said.

Ghose said that would be a last resort. Cameras have ongoing expenses and are prone to vandalism themselves, he said.

Source: http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2009/01/13/news/local/doc496d6729ed495174102225.txt?

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