The Most Unwelcoming Park Signs In Rochester

I noticed these signs the other day in a prominent Rochester park. They don't seem very welcoming, do they? But why are they there?

I saw these signs stating "Keep Out Private Property" "Do Not Enter" and "Park Dept Property" as I made my way through Soldiers Field Park recently. They were all posted along what appears to be a path leading from the park's soldiers memorial (on the north end of the park), to the park's storage shed.

The harshly-worded signs along what looks to be an under-construction segment of a new sidewalk seemed a little odd to me, so I did some investigating. Turns out, it's the result of a disagreement involved between the Parks and Rec Department and the Soldiers Field Veterans Memorial committee.

Apparently the Veterans Memorial committee sold commemorative pavers and was going to place them in a new sidewalk leading to the storage shed. But, while the committee thought they had approval, the Parks and Rec board put the breaks on the project, saying there's is a question whether the new sidewalk "maintains the standards established for the memorial." (You can read all the details about the disagreement from the Post-Bulletin HERE.)

This ABC-6 story said the groups met again on June 6th, and in true government fashion (which sometimes moves at the speed of molasses in January), put off a decision until a July 11th meeting.

So it looks like they'll be staying for awhile longer. So if you notice some unfriendly signs if when you're out and about at one of Rochester's nicest parks, now you know why they're there!