by John Dowd
After more than three years, the Town of Stevensville is finally looking to do something about the fence in front of Father Ravalli Park. A popular location for soccer and t-ball games, around three years ago the park also added a playground. During that project, a stretch of the fence was folded back, out of the way. This was done to allow vehicles and construction equipment to more easily enter the park to build the playground. After the project was finished, the fence was never returned to normal. This has led to some concern from the Stevensville community about the overall look of the park since the project.
The fence separates the park from the street (College Street) which runs parallel to it. During games and general park use, people will often park their vehicles along the street as there is no parking other than that for the park. According to town officials, the chain-link fence is crucial for preventing lost balls, dogs and even children from finding their way into the adjacent street.
During the last Stevensville Park Board meeting, on July 8, the subject of addressing the fence was brought up. The park board wants to keep the fence as chain-link, although other fence styles and even decorative boulders have been suggested that may be better alternatives. The park board decided to ask Stevensville Public Works Director, Stephen Lassiter, to look into what it would take to replace or improve the fence.
According to Lassiter, the main issue is that, due to time and frost heave, the posts that support the fence have decayed to the point that the fence is leaning various ways. It has become an eyesore and a safety hazard for park users.
Lassiter said the fence has been pushed aside for a long time due to funding constraints on the town. However, the park board believes it has been long enough and that something should be done, especially because it currently negatively affects the aesthetic look of the area.
The warped fence was also addressed during the last Stevensville Town Council meeting, on July 11, where the concerns noted by the park board were brought to the council’s attention. Lassiter has been asked to have estimates by the next town council meeting.
The plan, if voted on and approved, will be added to the next 2024-2025 fiscal town budget, and will hopefully be tackled within the next six months. Lassiter believes the project will be minimal, as much of the existing chain-link is in good shape. He hopes it will just be a small effort of replacing the support posts
“There is no need to replace the whole thing,” said Lassiter. “A lot of it can be fixed as is. I’m confident we can use every bit of that fence.”
He would also like to add a gate or two for pedestrians to enter the park without having to walk to either end of the several-hundred-yard fence. Another idea brought up would suggest moving the fence into the park a few feet while they are working on it.
Lassiter likes this idea, explaining that it would not only allow them more space to mow and maintain the area on the road side of the fence, but it would also allow more and safer parking for user vehicles. This would both save a lot of money and time for public works and would allow users better access to the park. As Lassiter looked into the project, he found that moving the fence in would not interfere with any irrigation lines, as was previously suspected. He discovered that the line actually runs about eight feet off the fence’s current path, parallel and on the inside of the park. This should give them plenty of room.
Lassiter added that the fence has been a real concern, not only in appearance, but in safety. He is glad to see it finally being addressed.
“This isn’t a huge expenditure, but it’s important,” said Lassiter.