City may not be ready to designate Olson Park as homeless sleeping site

Some City of Lawton officials aren’t ready to make a definite decision on designating Olson Park as an exception to a soon-to-be ordinance that will make it illegal to camp in public parks and other public places.

But, the Salvation Army might have another option to provide outdoor housing to those who need a place to sleep.

That proposal is part of a series of actions city officials are weighing as they try to get a handle on Lawton’s homeless population and the problems some members of that population are causing. One proposal is an anti-camping in public places ordinance, and Lawton city staff outlined a proposal in September to designate Olson Park on Southwest E Avenue as a place law enforcement could take homeless people moved out of other public places such as parks and sidewalks.

Parks and Recreation Director Larry Parks said city staff analyzed the park and made it their recommended site for several reasons, including the fact many homeless people already use the park because of its proximity to entities designed to help them, including the Salvation Army and Hungry Hearts Feeding Ministry. The designation means that when law enforcement picks someone up for camping in an unauthorized place, they could transport them to Olson Park so that person has somewhere to sleep if indoor shelter space isn’t available.

City Manager John Ratliff said the idea is to give city police the information beforehand so they know how to advise the people they will pick up for violating the anti-camping ordinance. But, city police and attorneys said there are issues the city will have to deal with before they can use the park.

Lawton Police Sgt. Matt Dimmitt said city police have 30 registered sex offenders who record their address as “homeless,” meaning it would be a felony for them to sleep in Olson Park.

“They can’t step foot in the park,” Dimmitt said, explaining registered sex offenders, by law, may not be within a certain distance of parks, schools and other sites where youth gather (including the Salvation Army’s Boys and Girls Club).

Ward 2 Councilman Kelly Harris, who chairs the council’s Homeless Action Committee, acknowledged the concern, saying the areas of Lawton where sex offenders are permitted to live is “very small” because of those prohibitions. That is part of the reason Harris and other committee members aren’t ready to designate Olson Park as a homeless sleeping site.

City Planner Christine James said the solution to Olson Park may be removing the “park” designation from the small tract. Ratliff, who opposes enacting the anti-camping ordinance until an outdoor sleeping space is identified, said the park would be a temporary solution while the city explores permanent housing options, adding city parks already are closed to the general public from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., so there would be a time limit on when homeless people could sleep there. Dimmitt suggested the city ban anyone under age 18 from sleeping in the park.

James said there are other issues to consider, including the fact Olson Park is in a flood plain and floods during heavy rains. That designation would prevent federal funds from being spent on amenities, she said. Garrett Lam, a city attorney, suggested the committee and council suspend designation of the park until attorneys get answers to some questions about the city’s legal liability in designating Olson Park for that use. But, Ratliff asked what liability the city might have if it moved forward with the ordinance without designating alternatives for the homeless, adding it becomes “an ethical and moral issue at that point.”

Capt. Bryan Brinlee, who runs the local Salvation Army with his wife Tracy, offered an option: there are ballfields near the Salvation Army complex that could be used for sleeping and the complex also has 400 cots that could be used. He said the idea is feasible because the idea behind the ordinance is pushing homeless people toward services that can help them.

While the committee decided against recommending Olson Park as a sleeping site, Harris said the idea isn’t dead.

“There are thousands of things we could do. Let’s start with one,” he said.