(Letter to the Editor - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Last Saturday morning, I parked in the parking lot at the Al Smith stage in Southwood Park. I had heard about the stray cat problem, and I decided to check it out myself, as the problems seem to cross various City departmental lines.

I approached the stage about 10:15 a.m. and I saw three cats lounging in the parking lot, I went down the sidewalk behind the stage toward the final putting hole, and at least a dozen stray cats scattered everywhere. I have been told that a couple of dozen cats show up at feeding time around sunset.

From that putting hole, I saw that some of the grass and weeds were taller than me, and I am guessing that there has been no trimming in that area all year, as several trees were on the ground as well. As I walked back to the stage, I observed fresh bowls of water and food in the corners of the stage. In the middle of the stage, there were various stages of decaying food, drawing in dozens of yellow jackets.

I walked back to the shelter beside the slide, and I saw at least three different cats lying on TOP of those picnic tables. Who brings a tablecloth with them when they pick up a meal from a local restaurant for a quick meal in the park?

This has become a health and safety issue. I messaged Gary McIntyre, director of the Humane Society, to see if they could help. He advised that there were no good ordinances regarding stray cats. He told me that he would check with the “Save a Kitty” folks to see who might be feeding the cats and he would reach out to some of his volunteers to see if they could relocate the feeding station to a safer spot for the public.

I want to know why this area of Southwood Park was allowed to grow wild and become a refuge for these cats? Who knows what other critters might be hiding in this wooded area! Southwood Park deserves the same level of care and maintenance that the City provides for City Park and Point Park. Since the City requires property owners to maintain their dwellings and keep their grass mowed regularly, why don’t the same standards apply to the properties that the City owns, especially our City Parks?

Sue Ellen Waybright

Parkersburg