The first step toward building a park in Bethel’s Kasayuli subdivision may happen in October. KYUK’s Christine Trudeau met with Michelle DeWitt, who chairs the Parks, Recreation, Aquatic Health and Safety Center Committee, to discuss a meeting that the group had on Monday when they toured two potential sites for a new playground and park in the subdivision. DeWitt says that the discussion ranged from the benefits of a park, to some of the problems.
Michelle DeWitt: “Most everyone who came to the meeting was pretty positive about park development. We heard from a neighbor… you know putting in a park would mean a small area would no longer be natural tundra, and the natural tundra in that area has a lot of berries. And so there was discussion about that, and traffic patterns, and how having kids accessing a park might increase pedestrian and vehicle traffic. All the kinds of positive things that you could imagine emerged, as did some of the concerns that would come with any kind of development.”
Christine Trudeau: “What are the next steps?”
Michelle DeWitt: “I think in our October meeting we’ll consider some of the feedback that we receive, and make some decisions about whether or not we feel ready to put something a little more fleshed-out in front of city council. That’s why I think the location aspect is really important, because we will want to recommend that we think a park should go in this space and then ask for their support on that.”
Christine Trudeau: “Thank you so much.”
