YC responds to concerns at park

May 21—After citizens spoke during a previous Yuba City City Council meeting about continued harassment and the related difficulties with attempting to play pickleball at Sam Brannan Park, the council was given an update Tuesday about efforts to make the park safer and more welcoming for those wishing to use the park's facilities.

During its April 19 meeting, the council received several complaints about issues at the park.

"I am here this evening to bring your attention to the unacceptable and unsafe activity happening at Sam Brannan Park on Gray Avenue — specifically tennis, pickleball courts and skatepark — and to request that the city take some positive action to provide a more safe environment for all users of the park," Sandra Dilday, a Yuba City resident said during the April meeting.

Dilday said she plays pickleball with a small group of women in the early evenings and has experienced "challenges" when attempting to play.

"We have witnessed numerous drug transactions and usage, vandalism of city property, fires set on city property, cutting locks, climbing over the fences while they're locked, fights, cars speeding through the parking lot, garbage on the courts, kids climbing over the fence into the pickleball courts while we're playing and large dogs running loose in the park and parking lot," Dilday said. "Bathrooms are unacceptable to most and I personally would not use nor take a child inside. On March 14, my car was damaged in the parking lot. This night there was a larger-than-normal group of people in the parking lot."

She said she also has seen a "full-on fist fight" that broke out in front of her and has faced unwanted behavior from some members of the public.

"On April 7, our group was inside the courts and a group of about 12-14 young people came into the courts on skateboards, bikes and scooters. When I asked them to please not do this, as they were damaging the courts, they responded with disrespectful behavior," Dilday said. "As the situation escalated, I felt we may be in danger and I called 911, clearly stating our location and that we were scared. By the time officers arrived in the parking lot at the park, they saw nothing going on and no reason of concern. The kids had moved onto the skatepark side by then."

Dilday said when the group had to go outside of the courts to speak with officers that responded, she suggested that her group was just considered as some "old ladies" that were upset.

"One of the women in our group actually called her husband to come down to the park as we did not even feel safe to get out to our cars that night. I've not been back to the park since. I realize this is and has been an ongoing problem for the city for a very long time," Dilday said. "... This is not new and most of you are aware that it has been an ongoing situation with little resolution. But for me, as a lifelong member of this community, I feel that I can no longer go to the courts in the evening safely. I have been told by coworkers and friends not to go there, that it is simply not safe. That's how others in the community feel with not even having experienced first-hand how it really is."

She said some of the young people using the park have "no respect for anyone or anything." Dilday urged the city to take action as the situation has continued to get worse despite the city's past efforts to make the park better.

In response, the city said it is taking steps to better protect Sam Brannan Park and those who use its facilities.

Yuba City Community Services Director Brad McIntire said during Tuesday's city council meeting that the city was responding to the request by the council to "move as fast as physically possible on creating a safer environment for Sam Brannan and our pickleball courts and obviously our skatepark as well."

During Tuesday's meeting, McIntire shared that there were 16 calls to police between April 20-May 11 for issues related to the pickleball courts and skatepark. Those 16 calls included disturbances, robberies, public drunkenness, assault with a weapon, fighting and five arrests/citations.

"I'd certainly like to thank the police," McIntire said. "They have certainly become a presence there and it is much appreciated by all the users."

McIntire said security at the park was increased to five-days-a-week, "averaging about four-and-half to five hours an evening." He said even though the park closes at 10 p.m., the city still wants security to be present about an hour after.

To further increase safety and security on the pickleball courts, McIntire said a code entry gate will be installed in the coming weeks.

"It is a coded gate that will allow participants to have a code, whether it be the pickleball club or whether it be through our recreation program," McIntire said. "When people register, they'll also get a code that will be specific to that class or group."

McIntire said the gate will be open by staff in the morning and remain open for the majority of the time the park is available.

"It's only in the evening where it is prescribed where we've had our issues at times, but it's also when we have our recreation programs," McIntire said. "So we open it at 6 in the morning, staff will open that gate, it stays open, that code only becomes applicable at a certain time of the day."

McIntire also said there is a proposed anti-climbing fence that the city hopes to have in place in the next few months to further protect the park's facilities.