MASON CITY – As spring is right around the corner, Mason City’s parks will soon be alive with people of all walks of life.
Some won’t be so savory, and people like that will need to be ‘watched’ by a group of volunteers.
The Volunteer Park Watch is a program designed to help prevent crime and vandalism to playground and park equipment, to alleviate suspicious activities in the parks and to promote citizen involvement. The Volunteer Park Watch Program volunteers (Parks Ambassadors) are encouraged to watch for all incidents of vandalism, unruliness and other obvious wrongful activities, including:
- Defacement of park equipment, shelters and restrooms
- Misuse of playground equipment
- Fighting or harassment
- Destruction of natural resources
- Loose domestic animals in the park
- Littering or garbage dumping
- Violation of park closing hours
The Park Watch program in Mason City is now open to volunteers. This interested are encouraged to apply.
The next training session is scheduled for April 17th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The Park Watch program began as a result of citizen input and support from the City Council. Contributions for design and development came form the Mason City Police Department, Parks and Recreation Department, and City Volunteer Program.
The first Park Watch tour was conducted on July 21, 2006.
