Fairfield neighbors say new playground at Allen Witt Park keeps getting trashed

CBS News

3 hours ago

Neighbors in Fairfield say their brand-new playground looks more like a dumping ground after people have trashed the park with half-eaten food, empty bottles, party decor, soiled diapers and left behind garbage on multiple occasions.
Sarah Cisneros
The all-inclusive playground at Allen Witt Community Park just opened in early May, when CBS13 shared the community's excitement for the neighborhood's new addition.
Sarah Cisneros, who lives just a few minutes from the park, was excited to take her four children there to play, until she says she started noticing others were not treating the new community amenity with any respect.
"People have no shame, you know? And it's too bad. It's too bad," said Cisneros.
Sarah Cisneros
Cisneros sent CBS13 photos she took at the playground over the weekend, which show tables left behind with remnants of a party, uneaten food and trash. The trash cans in the playground were also pictured overflowing, with the flower garden behind also littered with garbage just feet from the playset.
Cisneros says it was an unsafe environment for children to play in.
"There's alcohol bottles fully open sitting right there. That's unacceptable," said Cisneros.
She and her husband reported the incident to the city and they say they believe a city team came out the next day to clean up the mess.
After posting the photos in a Solano County neighborhood Facebook group, hundreds of comments from community members poured in. Some commented that they had also recently seen the park in this state and others said they were not surprised.
"It's just trashed all around. It sucks because everyone in the community, as soon as everyone saw this [new playground] was getting built up, we all said, 'this is not gonna last,' " said Cisneros.
She is disappointed that some community members are selfishly choosing not to clean up after themselves, setting a bad example for the children attending the park who have to play in garbage.
Cisneros says that after giving the park multiple chances, she does not wish to take her children back to play.
"Because I don't want my kids running around in trash. If I don't let them do this in my own house why would I want them to be in the public, roaming around in trash? It sucks because now all they say is, 'why don't we go to the park?' " said Cisneros.
She is asking the city to step in with a solution -- whether it's more cameras, more trash cans or more park maintenance patrols to try and catch those trashing the park in the act. Either way, she's asking for more accountability at Allen Witt Park so families can continue to enjoy the new playground.