City considers prohibiting camping at Kindley Park

Following reported concerns by the city code enforcement officer, a draft ordinance amendment will be established to prohibit camping of any type at Kindley Park. The amendment will be discussed by the Graham City Council and will require three readings before adoption.

City Manager Eric Garretty and city staff will be drafting an ordinance amendment to prohibit camping for presentation at a future council meeting. During the council meeting Thursday, March 28, the city manager said the code enforcement officer has dealt with repeated concerns at the park.

“The Code Enforcement Officer, BJ Cook, continues to have multiple issues with long-term campers at Kindley Park” he said. “...The city manager proposes that the city amend its current ordinance and prohibit camping of any type at Kindley Park to alleviate the issue.”

Cook submitted a request to amend the ordinance to prohibit overnight camping or any type of extended stay and instead make the space a day-use only recreational park limited to picnics, small gatherings and fishing.

“We continually have a problem out there,” Cook said Thursday. “It’s not patrolled like it should be. It ...I get complaints constantly on several different violations (such as) loud music (and) drug use out there. We have (tent campers) that come out there that just homestead; campers trash it up. It’s just been a real nuisance for several years now.”

Cook said the Young County Sheriff’s Office receives calls regarding those at the park in the evening and late at night.

“However, they’re not allowed to enforce an ordinance of our city so they’re limited on what they can do, unless it’s a state violation or state law violation,” he said. “I will say in past years, just me being in law enforcement and (working) with the sheriff’s office, there have been numerous arrests out there for drug activity.”

Due to the limited amount of electrical hookups for campers, Cook said many who stay at the park are tent campers or have camper trailers in disrepair.

“Within the past three years, code enforcement has worked multiple cases of illegal dumping where raw sewage is being released onto the ground in the park,” he said in the request. “The majority of people identified in the park after overstaying the allotted number of days are homeless or have recently been kicked out of a household within the city.”

According to the city’s code of ordinances, no camp may be established for more than 15 consecutive days and campers must collect garbage and trash around their sites and place it in receptacles provided by the city or bury it at least 500 feet away from the lake.

Cook said one of the problems is campers who overstay the allotted period leave for tje required amount of time and then come back only to be asked to leave after overstaying again.

“We have that same issue a little bit with Eddleman (Park), (but) not as near as what we have out at Kindley Park,” Cook said.

The city manager said there are only so many resources available from the city with Cook being the only code enforcement officer. Cook also said he does what he can to monitor the area.

“It’s six miles out. I mean, it’s harder for me to go out every single day to check Kindley Park. I do make my rounds. I do get out there at least once a week, every week, but this is what we’ve fallen into,” Cook said. “We just have people that come and homestead and it’s become a real nuisance out there.”