Don't be fooled: this had nothing to do with slowing the spread of coronavirus and everything to do with getting rid of a skateboard park.
A group of city officials in a town just outside of Dallas used a bulldozer to cover a skateboard park in dirt to slow the spread of COVID19.
Wouldn't it have been cheaper to just hire a security guard for a week or two and chase kids away when they approached the park?
After the Wylie City Council passed an emergency ordinance in response to the coronavirus outbreak, the city covered up its skating facilities at the Joel Scott Memorial Park with dirt.
Under the ordinance, people are not prohibited from “engaging in essential daily activities” such as “visiting parks,” but all “park facilities and recreation facilities are closed.”
Posts shared on social media show a vehicle from the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation guarding the park, and another account said that police asked some who were curiously inspecting the closure to leave.
Under an ordinance that amended the budget after the shutdown, the $2.6 million parks budget is projected to save about $20,000 on personnel, but see an increase of $30,000 in other expenses.
What a pointless and expensive gesture. In addition to wasting $10,000 and preventing young people from getting fresh hair and exercise (during a health crisis caused by a respiratory illness) they also destroyed a publicly owned facility worth almost $3 million.
Thanks, government.