Brunswick residents bring up concerns for proposed disc golf course at Pumpkin Ridge Park

BRUNSWICK — Brunswick residents expressed concerns about the proposed disc golf course at Pumpkin Ridge Park related to drainage, parking and its proximity to their homes at a Brunswick City Council meeting Monday. Disc golf comprises players throwing a disc into a basket with the goal of completing the course in the fewest number of throws. At the Dec. 8 Committee-of-the-Whole meeting, disc golf enthusiast PK Deaner proposed installing a nine-hole disc golf course at Pumpkin Ridge Park at no cost to the city in memory of a Brunswick resident who was also a fan of the sport. "The nine holes was actually envisioned as a starting point and more for children to pick up the activity of disc golf, not to cause a rampage of older adults flinging discs into your backyard," Councilman-at-Large Joe Delsanter said. "I don't think that was ever the intent that this particular venue was being designed for. It was the gracious gift of a group of people who are dedicated to the sport." Resident Danielle Szeszak expressed concerns over concrete pads potentially being installed in the grass field, which has drainage issues. Ward 4 Councilman Keith Kuczma said he does not know where the notion of large concrete pads came from. "These are going to be cement holes that the baskets get put in," he said. "They're actually removable, so they go in and come out. That's going to help us with cutting the grass, maintenance, things like that, and (Deaner's organization is) going to take care of the maintenance." A letter from resident Dawn Solar was read during the meeting that stated her concern of a lack of parking in the lot, which leads to side street parking. "I asked (Deaner), how many people are there on a given day in the summertime? We added it up," Ward 1 Councilman Mike Abella said. "It's 30 plus people on a very beautiful day. We could restrict the hours to stop the early morning stuff too." Pumpkin Ridge Park's drive will get repaired soon, which will make parking better, Kuczma said. "When you go golf, you always park at hole one," he said. "You're not going to want to park anywhere else and have to walk through seven holes to start hole one. You're going to park in the parking lot below and then play the game." The city hears from organizations wanting to turn the baseball field at Pumpkin Ridge Park into a big travel field, but residents have historically had issues with street parking in front of their homes for baseball games, Abella said. He sees disc golf as "the best solution for that park." "This is a passive activity that sort of eliminates that possibility of crazy over-the-top organized development there," he said. "It's the best of both worlds, I think." Szeszak said she has spoken with many of her neighbors, and they are worried about the closeness of the baskets to the property lines of the homes near Pumpkin Ridge Park. "The map — everything is just suggested," Councilwoman-at-Large Kristy Piper said. "Nothing has been set down and said, 'This is where we're placing everything.' We just had the conversation to get started." Kuczma told Deaner during their tour of Pumpkin Ridge Park that he did not want holes facing houses. "(Discs) do go into the yards, and nobody wants that, so we'll take a look at that as well," Abella said. "We'll get (your concerns) down, and we'll work with the design team to make sure that those are taken care of. I want to tell you that your concern is mine as well, but I still think that this is probably the best solution for that park." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.