LexRides

[corbindioxide]

I totally agree that something needs to be done about kids at courts, especially, after what happened yesterday. As far as keeping the courts locked up, I suggest we use a combination lock instead of keys so that more people will be able to access the court. There have been some guys come out to play soccer and it would be a shame to lock them out as well.

[brokebike]

We're not talking about totally locking up the courts, just the four main gates that open and close. Those gates get a lot of use and abuse, and allow access (and a quick get-away) from anywhere in the courts, so cutting off that easy access could possibly only help things. People can still get in through that center court opening.

Besides, I've seen some of those kids actually open the gates and try to walk through IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME... totally oblivious to what is going on inside.
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[rich1]

im surprised you guys still want to give these little shits a chance.

from rock trowing while in play to glass, multiple cell phones, balls, mallets, almost bikes, to people getting PISTEL WIPPED WITH PELLET GUNS, tearing down the f-cking walls.. twice , sheryl has walk into the courts and has stooped kids from digging threw bags many times, verbal abuse, do i really need to keep going ..... not to mention who knows what we haven't caught or noticed yet.

we welcomed them in and even tried to show them the ways to play and get along. in my opinion they have had their chance. they want to watch they can watch threw the fence, it bull shit we still have to worry about this crap.
its not going to end..... its getting worse they graduated to attempted grand theft auto , come on what else are we gonna invite them in to do.
sorry not saying we are asking for any of it , but we have been more than strict, nice, sweet and loving. im not their parents so i cant beat the shit out of them like many of them need , but i say their done. lock it all down
none of them come in
RICH
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[Jess]

I think this is sort of a touchy issue. We've been accused in the past (what was her name....Cheyenne?) of going into Coolavin and making no efforts to engage the community, but at the same time, that space was basically unused. And look how far its come! On non-polo nights, I've encountered 25+ spectators/players using the courts for soccer. It does seem unfair to banish the kids from the central area, but much like other problems we've encountered, we seem to have a hard time drawing a collective line because no one wants to be the bad guy. (except Rich. ) Have YOU tried being reasonable with some of them? It doesn't go very far. Look, this is a tad bit harsh, but I don't go out to polo to babysit or to volunteer my time with children who have no business being in a public park unsupervised. If that means I'm going to have some psuedo-academic tell me I'm cold-hearted, then so be it. I've heard worse. This problem will be much easier to manage if we have a no exception policy. I vote lock all four gates and no kids in the middle area. We are not in the wrong here. Like Mike said, Louisville has the same policy!

[brokebike]

I don't care whatever high-minded ideas people have for how we are supposed to interact with the community. If some people want to start a kids program or whatever, then fine... do that. We never signed on for that role, or said that was what we were going to do when we approached the city about using the space. Did we think it would improve the park, and possibly make some positive difference in the community surrounding the park? Of course. And to some extent I think our presence there has done just that... but I agree with you Jessi. We don't come out to polo to play babysitter for unsupervised kids - we come to play polo.

Another way to think about it is this: you don't see kids running around in the outfield at the baseball games, and you don't see kids running rampant through a golf course swinging clubs at trees and shit. When facilities are being used and games are being played, there should be no kids running around doing whatever they want within our court facility. They can do that when we're not there, or they can take it outside of the fence in the actual park grounds.

Adults who are spectating, and keeping to themselves without interfering with the games is a totally different thing. I think the kids should stay outside the courts while we're playing... plain and simple. If that's too harsh of a stance for some people, then maybe they'd be better suited doing babysitting, or social work, or some other noble pursuit. The rest of us are going to be there to play polo.
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[sailorjames]

Might need to stress this a little more, it happened again tonight...Wasn't a kid this time, but a black guy in his upper twenties (?) who went by "Pat" with braids, and at least 4 gold teeth on the top row, and one top front tooth not gold. He was wearing a white tank top and plaid shorts. About 6 feet tall, maybe slightly under.

The soccer guys complained about the same thing tonight, apparently they had to call the police Tuesday because some kids decided to break bottles on their court while they played.

Trust no one at this point, I think the word is out that we're the naive kids with nice shit. Sucks don't it?

[Jess]

Apparently we've been getting off easy. To add onto what James was saying, the soccer guys told us they started keeping their "valuables" in the corners behind the wooden planks. They would catch kids lying on the ground trying to reach through and grab their stuff. The guy said one was trying to sneak through the port-a-potty for fuck's sake.
Not to mention on Wednesday we had a girl walk through the middle of a game and out the far side door. Did she bother to close the door she opened? No. Even after we all yelled at her? I guess you could say she tried.
It's time for initiative you guys....Are we using combination or key locks for the court doors? Should we use actual chains, cable-type locks? What happened to the gate that was keeping the middle area blocked off? (I'm assuming it's long gone.) I have two wooden pallets we could use to physically block off the entrance for now.

[mofokuban]

I vote for a players only rule in the center area of the courts.

And as far as bringing glass into the center courts area, that's my fault. I didn't know the No Glass rule had been extended outside of tournaments.

Can we put up a rules sign? Or are we not allowed?

I'm for locking the 4 gates with hefty chain locks that require a key. And then maybe a gate for the center area that requires a combination that is changed monthly at the least.

As far as bringing items with value into the courts... I think building a storage box might make it too obvious.

[drewbles]

it very clear as to the opion of the majority/ more vocal people in the group that we should start a players/ well mannered spectators only rule in the middle during games. sounds fine to me.

locking the gates is also a good idea. i feel like the locker box will act mostly as a bench and a simple, hidden, confined place to put our gear during games. there would be no need to lock it ever, unless you plan on leaving gear in there over night.

be aware that if we begin to step up security or crack down on rules, we should expect retaliation (just like when that kid DJ pistol whipped Skip, we banished him and he came back and broke the supports at least 3 separate times). this will probably in the form of vandalism. i don't want it to happen, but people/kids may vandalize the boards, supports and we may see far more glass on the courts than before. just be aware and be ready.

what a world.
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[Jess]

I've talked to a couple different people about the setup we could use. It would need to be somewhat burly and weather resistant, which would probably rule out a lot of the cheaper "combo" locks I was originally looking at. I'm going to do some lock shopping tomorrow.

[brokebike]

Maybe we should talk to Burton about these locks that are all keyed the same that he mentioned earlier? That sounds like it could be an ideal situation if it's not too expensive...

Remember, we've tried combination locks in the past and it seems people didn't like them because over time, being out in the weather made the combination controls hard to turn, which caused people to leave them unlocked, which then caused the chains and locks to get stolen. Keyed locks seem to do a bit better since there aren't as many moving parts to seize up.
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[mofokuban]

Keyed locks do last longer, this is true. But the logistical challenge of coordinating keys with the regular users will be a problem. Keys will be lost, broken, etc. And eventually the locks will malfunction.

As far as getting locks, maybe we should have a sort of lock fund? Or maybe a general court fund? If we were to build a storage bin, we could potentially store backup materials (nets, board supports/supplies, maybe spare key), but that also runs the risk of theft if the storage unit is compromised.

I'm all for getting locks, but I think the funds should be shared by all the polo players and soccer players. I'm guessing a quality mini u-lock or chain is going to run about $60 each... so that's $240 spread around about roughly 25 people or so, roughly $10 per person.

I also think posting a rules board is still a good idea.

[elzie5000]

Wasn't the idea to permanently lock the four gates behind the goals so that the only entry/exit point is the hole in the fence between the two courts? If so, what does it matter what kind of locks are used if they are rarely, if ever, going to be unlocked? Slap four cheap ass combo locks on there and forget about it.

[drewbles]

Heck, go to wildcat wheels and grab 4 shitty u-locks with only one key. Then give all 4 keys to one person in case they need to be unlocked for a big tourney or something. They can't check those out along with the bikes as they need 2 keys for each bike. There should be plenty. Ask Kyle or Corbin. Free fix.

try a cheap or free fix to see how vandals might react. Doesn't make sense to blow a ton of money if it will just be vandalized. Bench box is just a simple reinforced plywood box bolted to the boards near center court inside the middle. No hinges ( unless the top will be stolen) no locks, no showing screws.
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[burton]

the locks from me wont cost anything, maybe shipping, maybe a 6 pack. i can provide 4-5 locks, enough keys, but you can also request the specific numbered key or just have it copied. I'll grab three more tomorrow. i have two in my car right now. who wants em?