Over the last several years, the City of Bennington has allowed the east side of Tim Ohrt Park (north of approximately 151st and Bennington Road) to become a work site and dump site. This longstanding green park space has historically been used for many recreational and social activities and is also a rare slice of dark sky without much urban light pollution. In 2023, the City allowed the Metropolitan Utilities District to use this area for heavy equipment, construction materials and removed soil from water-main work done in various city areas. MUD and the City were supposed to restore this area in the fall of 2023, but by the time MUD removed its presence, it was too late in the fall for grass seed to successfully germinate.

Following the July, 2024 windstorm, the City allowed the Public to dump tree debris in this same area to add to debris the City also deposited there. While other areas designated for tree debris have been cleared and as the City maintains, improves and adds other City park spaces such as the Arboretum across from the library and the green space west of the baseball fields and City Maintenance Yard, the east side of Ohrt Park remains a dump site instead of green park space. As of early October, 2024, the City has taken no action to clear the east side of Ohrt Park and restore its historic green space. Therefore it is very likely that this space will remain the ugly mess it has been for over a year now.

PLEASE support the restoration of the east side of Ohrt Park to the green park space it is supposed to be by signing the PETITION OF SUPPORT FOR THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION TO RESTORE PARKLAND ON THE EAST SIDE OF OHRT PARK:

Whereas, the land comprising Ohrt Park’s existing spaces on both sides of the creek which runs roughly across the middle of this land was donated by the Ohrt family to be a park for recreational purposes to use such as other City of Bennington park spaces and Arboretum, these last areas currently being maintained and improved as green park spaces;

Whereas, the Ohrt Park land on the east side of the creek was kept as a treed-and-grassy green space for decades and was frequently used by the Public for a variety of active and passive recreational purposes such as walking, jogging, various sports practices for young children, kite flying, picnicking, dance performances, wildlife observation of a variety of animal species, an Easter egg hunt, pet exercising, and general nature observation and relaxing;

Whereas, the City of Bennington has increasingly used the land on the east side of the creek for the past several years for disposal of tree debris and a wood-chipping operation at the northwest portion of this land; used by the Metropolitan Utilities District with the City’s permission in 2023 until mid-October as a staging area for heavy equipment, large piles of dirt, and storage of various components, all of these MUD uses accompanied by day-long noise from heavy equipment and leaving no seasonal time for restoration of grass to approximately half of this former green space and leaving this former green park space without grass on much of it and with a great deal of broken concrete remaining on a unlevel soil surface;

Whereas, the City of Bennington has used the land on the east side of the creek for dumping of massive quantities of tree debris from the summer, 2024 windstorm as well as allowing the Public to fill the majority of this otherwise green park space with tree debris and with the City having cleared other City-designated tree-debris sites but with the City leaving the Ohrt Park green space on the east side of the creek appearing like a dump site and still attracting the Public to continue to dump tree debris in this area with no visible appearance of an effort made by the City to clear this green park space and restore it to grass in the fall of 2024;

Resolved, the City of Bennington approves this Resolution to immediately, following approval of this Resolution, begin to remove tree debris and wood chips from the east side of the creek in Ohrt Park so that grass seed may still be sown in early fall, 2024; to fully restore this space to the recreational area it has historically been; and to work with interested Bennington residents to make this area available for various recreational and social activities suited to such green park space such as by installing elements such as a small, simply constructed stage in the northwest area of this green space and a number of limestone slabs near the stage that are suitable for seating when any City-approved public performances and activities occur; and to otherwise keep this space intact on an uninterrupted basis as green park space with a minimum of lighting as exists at this time so that the Public may also enjoy the view of the night sky.