The library board directed staff to form a committee with neighbors, library officials and the library foundation to discuss options to secure Library Park to prevent misuse.

During the July 25 library board meeting, Director Susie McIntyre said that neighboring property owners have concerns about people in the park overnight, despite signage that the park is closed overnight; fighting; drug and alcohol use; and other issues in the greenspace.

McIntyre said she’s met with some of the neighbors and a landscape architect about those concerns and potential solutions.

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“We want to be a good neighbor,” she said.

The library has already addressed some other issues in the park including:

• removing uneven portions of sidewalk and new sidewalk has been installed where needed
• two trees damaged during sidewalk removal have been removed
• other trees have been trimmed
• sickly juniper bushes have been removed
• benches and the picnic table have been moved
• irrigation system has been reinstalled
• new sod has been laid

Most city parks have been experiencing similar issues and there’s a citywide issue of the unhoused population and some groups of people causing problems in public areas.

One of the potential solutions is fencing the park to prevent anyone from using it inappropriately, McIntyre said.

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She noted that they plan to hire two security guards/safety specialists by the end of September and July and August are consistently the months with the most problems in the park. She said the additional staff may impact the level of problems in the park.

McIntyre said she’s spoken with the city attorney about the legality of denying access to the Library Park, which is public property owned by the Great Falls Public Library.

She said she believed staff could craft a policy that is legal and fair but she wanted guidance from the library board before moving forward.

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One option may be to remove the roof or wall of the park bandshell, making it less inviting for people to hang out.

They still plan to do the summer music in the park series at the library, but may just have the stage area without the roof.

She said if they decide to fence the park, they have to have a policy for usage.

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Those options include only unlocking the park for library programs; using it as they do a meeting room by reservation and with a contract; or only keep it open with the library is open and security staff are patrolling.

McIntyre said her preference would be to have the park open during the library’s normal operating hours.

It would be a staffing issue to close the park from dusk to dawn in summer, she said.

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Michael Yegerlehner told the board that he appreciated the library staff’s efforts to be proactive in addressing safety issues while still working to provide a community space for all.

Yegerlehner is involved with Housed Great Falls, a local nonprofit working to develop a low-barrier shelter for the unhoused population.