Shrub Removal Riles Neighbor Crews Prune Back Vegetation To Make Cliff Park Safer To Visit

Ten big piles of branches and twigs lined the edge of Cliff Park on the South Hill this week.

City crews went through the old park to remove what they viewed as excess vegetation. Their goal was to make the park safer by opening it up visually.

One neighbor wasn’t pleased.

Virginia Baird said the city got carried away and removed too many shrubs that took many years to mature.

“I am so saddened by what they did at the park there,” she said.

Taylor Bressler, park maintenance manager, said the work at Cliff Park was part of a new pruning program intended to make parks on the South Side safer.

Crews cleaned out low-hanging branches and shrubs at Underhill Park earlier this year after residents complained about drug-gang activity in the East Central Neighborhood.

Similar work has been done along Latah Creek near its confluence with the Spokane River, in High Bridge Park and in Palisades Park along Rimrock Road.

About 90 percent of the vegetation was left growing in Cliff Park, Bressler said.

“There is no intention to clear cut the area,” he said.

The park grounds had a lot of sapling maples that started from seeds over the years. Those were removed.

It also had a lot of low-hanging branches, and those were trimmed up. Shrubs were reduced in size, but most were left to continue growing, he said.

The pruning is being done in conjunction with a new Police Department program called “crime prevention through environmental design.”

By reducing the vegetation, police can watch the parks more easily. Trouble makers have a harder time hiding.

People who use the park will feel safer because they will have better visibility across the grounds, Bressler said.

“It ultimately adds to the park safety,” he said.

Over the years, Cliff Park has been known for harboring underage parties during the spring and summer. The Parks Department pays a security company to patrol the park at night, Bressler said.

, DataTimes