City of Chicopee PLUS

This vehicle hasnt moved in months. It was blocking the winter parking ban.

To Whom it May Concern:

I am a homeowner on a nearby street to Szetela park and take walks there often. It had been a beautiful and well maintained park area, however sadly since the pandemic, I have observed a steady decline with (seemingly) little to no maintenance or police presence. To put it bluntly, the park is turning rather slummy. Here are the main issues as I see them ( in no particular order ).

1. The trash bins are *overflowing* with decaying waste (predominantly, dog poop bags) which is making the park smell more putrid by the day. I'm sure this is not healthy or sanitary.

2. The caution tape that was put up on the children's playground has been torn down repeatedly. I'm not sure there is any tape in place presently.

3. There is now *ample* graffiti all over the trees at the back of the park which is a real shame.

4. In the back of the park too, kids (?) have literally excavated huge amounts of dirt and soil to create an elaborate motocross arena. Many tree roots have been torn up in the process (which is may lead to the death of the tree). The environment overall is totally altered from what is was previously -- which was a nice wooded area with a couple of foot paths. Also, their is a good deal of motorbiking happening in and around this arena which is dangerous and annoying as it is loud and disturbs the peace. Also kids are leaving their trash in/around around the motocross pit.

5. Directly behind Szetela park there is a trail to the left, if you take this and walk 3 mins in that direction you will come to the end of the path and a small clearing in the woods. This area is like a little campground on the edge of a small cliff (and down beyond, the highway). Here you will find 3-4 fire pits and handmade structures that look like dwellings. I had noticed some weeks back many, many tree branches and young saplings in the immediate area had been sawed off and I could not figure out why (it looked very hodge-podge of a job and not part of any state mandated maintenance). In any case, I'm not sure if this is kids or perhaps some homeless dwelling.

These are my concerns, thankyou for tasing the time to review them. Please do let me know if I can answer any further questions. I hope something can be done to salvage Szetela Park.

Thank you,

Megan

overgrowth on sidewalk of Linden street

People speeding and going the wrong way on Jacob Street.

Brown couch on the side of road Been there for over 2 weeks.

Rainwater drain on corner of Summit and Windsor non-functioning. Water backup with any amount of rain.

basketball hoop taking up lane of street