Parks Department considers holiday trail closure…
Graylin Porter - reporter
Nathan Broom, member of Indian Creek Trail, Inc., presented at the Harrison County Parks board meeting Wednesday night requesting that the trail in Hayswood Park stay open during daylight hours this Christmas season instead of closing for Merry Country Christmas hayrides. In the past several years, the Parks Department has closed sections of the trail for more than 2 months to accommodate the weekend hayrides, claiming that closures are necessary for safety and to prevent vandalism.
Broom presented a letter from the board of Indian Creek Trail, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to developing and caring for the trail. In it he called attention to a quote from Dr. Samuel P. Hays, who donated the land for Hayswood:
“It is with this focus on walking that I have established the Indian Creek Woods endowment to provide funds for the use of creating and maintaining a system of trails which emphasize the enjoyment and experience of walking.”
Broom went on to state that the organization is fully supportive of the hayrides, but feels strongly that it should be possible to keep the trail open through the week without disrupting the community events.
Broom also stated that his organization has had several meetings with Parks Department staff over the past year to develop a plan to keep the trail open, with scheduled closures for installation of lights and operation of the hayrides, but that this month they were informed that the trail would be closed again for 2022.
Several members of Indian Creek Trail, Inc. and others from the community spoke in support of keeping the trail open. Monica Owsley, a volunteer who maintains the flowers along the trail, spoke about her experience walking the trail to improve her health while recovering from breast cancer, “It got me through the darkest part of that time. I survived, and I attribute that to the trail.”
Teresa Sutton, Parks Board President, stated that the Parks Christmas Committee has not yet met, but that she would share the letter and remarks with them. Other members of the Parks Board seemed to be receptive to the request, however no motion was made and no vote was taken.
