Local skaters were chuffed earlier this week when Tyson Park shut down at 5:30-- half an hour before sunset. The park is supposed to be open until 11, but they were told by security guards that under the city's new policy, the park would be closing at dusk.
Outrage ensued. But now we have it on good authority that the whole thing was simply a mix-up. This morning we talked to Joe Walsh, the head of the city of Knoxville's Parks and Recreation Department, and he says that the city subcontracts with a security firm to go around and close down all the parks each night, most of which are open from dawn until dusk. Despite the early evenings in the winter, some parks weren't getting shut down until close to 10 p.m., so the city told the company that they needed to be shutting everything up much earlier. According to Walsh, some of the officers "got a little overzealous" and also applied that policy to Tyson Park.
Walsh says the misunderstanding is all cleared up and local skaters once again are free to skate their evenings away, barring inclement weather, in which case the park will shut down early.
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