Why Do People Take Out Their Frustrations on the New Restrooms at Beulah's Regional Park?

Why do some people that want nice things destroy the nice things the taxpayers subsequently provide?  It's paradoxical...

Ever since the county spent nearly $200K to build nice, clean and modern restroom facilities at the county's most utilized and busy park---Beulah Regional Park in District 1--there have been incidents of vandalizm over and over and over.  One after another, nonstop.

Why?

Why do folks do this to their park?

I use this park all the time, I love it.  Tennis courts, Basketball Court , a dog park, walking trails, and lots of other amenities for all the residents to enjoy.  

One of the best amenities came in 2019 when the county completed the permanent restrooms and removed the disgusting, smelly, and horrible "porta potties" that used to sit on a pad right by the parking lot.  They were gone, the new restrooms were built, and all is well.  Or so we thought.  Here is the latest report from a citizen about this facility......:

"The Vandalism at Beulah Park mens room is getting really out of hand. Last week someone destroyed the paper towel dispensers by ripping the doors off and even knocking one off the wall. Last night July 4th someone appears to have used fireworks to destroy the toilet by blowing the bottom out of the fixture. A few weeks ago someone wrote racial slurs on the walls with sidewalk chalk. I use this Park frequently and its nice to have bathroom facilities while using the park but with the progression of the vandalism it will soon be totally destroyed and unusable. Please put in a work order to have the facility fixture repaired and report the vandalism to the Sheriff’s Dept and request additional patrols to possible curb the increasing Vandalism.

 Thank You for your help"

My Response:

XXXXXXXX, 

I utilize that park frequently and I, too, have seen the results of this vandalism and destruction which is terrible.  Your county spent $160 K ---taxpayer dollars--on just those restrooms ---so that families and ordinary citizens could enjoy the park and not have to endure "porta-potties."  Sadly--some citizens just cannot handle the responsibility of NOT destroying things that are nice.  And regreatably, folks that engage in this destructive behavior make it harder for the county to do nice things for the citizens.  I will, by copy of this email to the director of parks and recreation Michael Rhodes, report what you have sent to me and request that repairs be made expeditiously.  I will, by copy of this email to my assistant Debbie Kenney, have this issue reported to our liaison with the sheriff's office as well--to see if they have any ideas about how to curb this chronic vandalism at this park. 

 I will never understand the mentality of those who destroy things provided for community benefit.  It is a dysfunctional mentality that, unfortunately, is far too prevalent in multiple areas of society today.  And sadly, I don't see any evidence that it is going to change anytime soon.  So the rest of us will continue to pay more and more for the things we enjoy and expect from government.  Which means constricted levels of funding and services in other areas.

 Sincerely,

 Jeff Bergosh

Vice-Chairman and District 1 Commissioner, Escambia Board of County Commissioners

221 Palafox Place Suite 400

Pensacola, FL 32502

850-595-4910 office

850-377-2209 Voicemail

District1@myescambia.com

www.jeffbergoshblog.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/CommissionerBergosh/

Twitter-- @jeffbergosh

Enhancements for Beulah Park are now Under Construction!

Three cool new features are coming soon to Beulah's regional park.  Funded in March with $200,000.00 from District 1 Discretionary local option sales tax (LOST) funds-construction has now begun at the park.

Construction was supposed to begin in June/July--but there were some delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The three new features will consist of:

1. An outdoor fitness feature which will allow adults to work out outdoors--instead of in an indoor environment where air circulation would not be as good.

2.  A rock climbing wall for children and teens--this will be a really nifty addition to the park that I know the children will love!

3.  A Children's Water Play area with misters, water towers and other play features 

that allow kids to cool off by getting wet on hot summer days.

I look forward to getting these upgrades completed as soon as possible!

A Splash Pad for Beulah Park?

I'm having staff assess the viability and feasibility of installing a small splash pad at Beulah Park

With hot summers here and with a need for additional recreational outlets for neighborhood children, "splash pads" are quickly becoming  must haves throughout the southeast.

Communities throughout Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida are installing these structures.

I have been asked about the feasibility of bringing one of these amenities out to the residents that live near Beulah Park--so I have had some staff looking into this.

With Beulah growing and with a tremendous level of usage at Beulah Park--I believe this would be an ideal location to install a splash pad.

Gulf Breeze recently added a splash pad at Shoreline Park, and rumor has it that Legion Field in the city will be getting a splash pad as well in the near future.

Initial research indicates that a modest structure that could accommodate 15-25 children at a time would cost between $75,000-$90,000.  In addition to upfront costs, there are recurring costs to consider with these structures.  If the water is to be recirculated, it must be monitored and checked daily in order to assure cleanliness and prevent contamination.  If, on the other hand, a system that uses potable water and does not recirculate is selected--it will be less expensive to construct but will generate higher water bills and therefore be costlier to operate in the long term.

Because of Beulah Park's close proximity to the county's equestrian center (where staff is located daily)--this park would be an ideal location for a splash pad.  If daily maintenance is required, staff is close by to handle this tasking.

So there are multiple issues that must be looked at by staff before a final decision can be made.

If it is deemed feasible and practical, I will set aside some of my discretionary LOST funds to construct this amenity. 

I hope we can get this done--it would be great for the county to have one of these for the many children who do not have access to pools or other bodies of water in the heat of our summer.

More to come on this, stay tuned!