By Stephen Dawkins

A park is usually a peaceful place where people can relax. Jemison City Park has become anything but.

City officials have received reports of loud, profane language and even louder music–and are vowing to take back the park for those that would use it as intended.

City Council member Sam Reed brought up the issue at Monday’s City Council meeting, and Mayor Eddie Reed voiced a strong opinion.

“I think our parks are for the people,” Eddie Reed said. “They should not have to be afraid to go to our city park, so we’re going to stop that in that park.”

Jemison Police Chief Shane Fulmer said the problem is young people–as many as 50-75 on weekends–gathering around the basketball courts and “creating an environment where people just don’t want to go out there.”

Fulmer said the basketball courts are there for people to use, but it’s often the hangers-around that cause problems.

Officials suspect many of the culprits are out-of-towners that have somehow decided on the park as a gathering place.

Fulmer said he doesn’t intend to let that continue.

“We’ve taken steps to try to curb that, and we’re going to continue to do it,” he said.

Playground equipment and bathrooms at the park have been vandalized. Members of the undesirable group are suspected, but Fulmer said no one has yet been arrested or charged with any crimes.

But ramped-up patrols will continue.

“People should be able to enjoy it, and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure they do,” Fulmer said.

By Stephen Dawkins

Two recent Jemison burglaries, and subsequent arrests, should show businesses the importance of an up-to-date video surveillance system, city Police Chief Shane Fulmer said.

The press box at City Park was broken into on April 25, and a vehicle was broken into at a convenience store near Interstate 65 Exit 219 on April 28. Because video footage was available to investigators, arrests were made within five days of the crimes in both instances.

“The video in both of these cases allowed us to track down these individuals,” Fulmer said. “Many businesses don’t have video at all, and some have systems that are out of date.

“I can’t stress enough the importance of these systems.”

Jose Rodriguez, 24, and Joshua Crumpton, 21, both of Montevallo, were arrested on April 30 and charged with felony burglary and criminal mischief.

The pair allegedly broke into the park press box and damaged a metal box—which turned out to be part of the park’s surveillance system.

Officers were still able to recover the footage.

“We’ve been having some problems at the park, but the officers have been doing a great job keeping that in check, making extra patrols,” Fulmer said.

Brandon Blankenship, 26, of Jemison was arrested on April 29, one day after he allegedly entered a woman’s unlocked vehicle at a fuel station and took her purse while she was inside the store.

Blankenship was charged with breaking and entering a vehicle and second-degree theft of property, both of which are felonies.

By Scott Mims

More improvements are underway at Jemison City Park. The most current project aims to improve drainage near the soon-to-be-upgraded kids’ playground.

The city just purchased $62,885 in playground equipment, which will replace the existing equipment at the park. The city is matching a $30,000 Land and Water Grant to fund the project.

As required by the grant, the new playground will be accessible to physically challenged children and incorporate the latest safety features.

“The playground we have now is just worn out,” said council member Sam Reed, who oversees parks and recreation. “People in the community seem to be excited about getting new equipment. It’s going to draw more people to the park.”

There will be two separate units, one for kids ages 5-12 and one for younger kids. Both were purchased from Giffen Recreation of Pelham. Each will be surrounded by soft wooden chips as an added safety measure.

But kids aren’t the only ones that will benefit from the upgrades. The property adjacent to the playground is being landscaped in an effort to correct the drainage situation, Reed said. He hopes the city can make use of the entire area by adding more picnic tables and benches.

Future plans also include additional restroom facilities and possibly a new tennis court. The park currently has two courts.

“When monies will allow, we’re thinking about adding another tennis court,” Reed said.

Jemison City Park is accessible via Patton Street near the middle school or just past the water tower on County Road 42 West.

By Scott Mims

A $30,000 grant will allow the city of Jemison to purchase a new, handicap-accessible playground for City Park.
The grant is from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs Land and Water Conservation Fund, and it requires a $30,000 match from the city, Council member Sam Reed said.
“Hopefully by the summertime it will be complete,” Reed said after Monday night’s council meeting.
The council listened to a presentation by Al Heedy of Giffen Recreation in Pelham, who offered to install two playgrounds at City Park, one for older children and a separate playground for younger kids.
Each playground would feature innovative equipment designed to benefit the upper body strength of physically challenged children. Soft wooden chips would cushion the ground for safety.
Also included would be several independent events, such as the popular Infinity Triple Climber.
“Kids really love it because there are all kinds of ways to climb up and down off of it,” Heedy said.
The council agreed to look over the company’s offer and make a decision in a future meeting.
The council also:
•Sold an old backhoe for $3,675
•Addressed potholes on County Road 42 East that need to be repaired.