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Seniors held hostage by C’dale disc golfers

Dear Editor:My wife and I were reminiscing over old photos of her 40th birthday party held in Bert & Ernie Park in Carbondale. That was when the park had a two-story picnic pavilion and no disc golf course. B&E was known then as a picnic park. But, for years we have been down to two to three tables that get moved around frequently for various activities. Unfortunately, most of the best picnic spots are now occupied by disc golf baskets and tees. Perhaps we should do like one person did in our new town manager’s former town of Cortez. Someone apparently lined one of the Centennial Park disc golf baskets with foil and fired up his briquettes for a barbecue. What a great idea! Maybe we now need nine more picnic tables. Actually, in recent weeks, the public works department has returned two of our four missing tables. They are still “searching” for the others.There were also several park benches in those days. The seniors from Heritage Park have always appreciated being able to catch their breath on the bench that used to be at the top of the steeper section of the sidewalk. Now, if seniors need a break, they have to find a vacant table or compete for the one remaining bench at the playground. One day we observed an elderly lady resting with her walker on the sidewalk next to the No. 8 basket. There was a group of disc players yelling for her to move so they could play through. When they failed to get her attention we went over and spoke with her. As it happened, she was a new resident of Heritage Park at an impressive age of 103. When we explained what was going on in the park, she looked with alarm at one of the discs and said, “If I get hit by one of these, it’ll take me out.” This is no way to treat our seniors, especially in their own neighborhood park! Let’s move the course now.Bill HoftoCarbondale