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City discusses signage in parks
CLOVIS — Signs, signs, everywhere there're signs. But the problem for the Clovis Parks and Recreation Department is they all too often don't say the same thing from park to park.
A spirited but civil discussion about the need to overhaul signs throughout city-owned parks and sports fields took up the majority of an hour-long parks, recreation and beautification committee meeting Monday at Clovis City Hall.
No action was taken on signs, or any other item, as the committee did not have a quorum for the meeting. That's something city staff aims to rectify for the next meeting, set for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3.
According to an information sheet distributed by Parks and Recreation Director Mark Dayhoff, there are 39 signs spread throughout the city's 12 parks, Colonial Park Golf Course, Goodwin Lake Walking Trails and 13 other sporting facilities.
"It's difficult, because if you start listing everything you'd have a huge sign," Dayhoff said. "The main thing we need to get consistency on is pets. Most of the parks are consistent with, 'Keep animals on leashes.'"
Since 1977, the standard in city code has been that, "A dog or cat shall not be considered to be running at large if it is on a leash or under the control of a person physically able to control it."
An attempt was made during the summer to put in an ordinance that removed the "control" clause. The Clovis city commission voted 6-1 against the ordinance, with a stated desire to see the parks committee develop new signage to battle issues.
Commissioner Juan Garza, who was the only dissenting vote in that July 19 meeting, said people rarely if ever pay attention to city signs but the city faces legal issues if signage isn't there at all.
"We need to put our foot down because this could become a liability," Garza said. "Something is waiting to happen. Animals are running all over the parks."
Creating uniform signs is difficult because the parks are not uniform. Some parks have no bodies of water, while others need signs that outlaw swimming, wading, boating - or in the rarest cases, ice skating.
As soon as you remove something like a metal detector ban, Dayhoff said, somebody will bring a metal detector and upon hearing a beep start digging like it's their own back yard.
In other business at Monday's meeting:
• Dayhoff said environmental impact studies and design have been finished on the shooting range at Ned Houk Park, and that a grant submission is in with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.
"Hopefully, they'll be able to (approve grants) by the first of the year, and we'll be able to go to bid," Dayhoff said. "So we're pretty much on schedule."
Commissioner Gary Elliott asked if the studies had looked into the range possibly disturbing nearby property owners, and was told they had.
• The city received 41 cameras Friday for the Hillcrest Park Zoo. Dayhoff hoped they would be installed within the next two weeks. The cameras are always on, but only record once motion is sensed. Footage will be stored for 90 days.
Dayhoff was also asked if the zoo could acquire a golf cart for zoo patrons to drive through the premises. He was still looking into liability issues.
• Clovis High Athletic Director Lonnie Baca told the committee about the new scoreboard at Bell Park, and updated members on the progress of the new on-campus tennis courts.
Baca expects the courts, and the parking lot to the south, to be completed the week after Thanksgiving. The six courts will be lit at night, and open to the public, with the understanding priority will go to the CHS tennis team when it has practices and matches.