MADISONVILLE, KY - Have you gone out to the Madisonville city park lately?

For the most part, you can tell they are really on top of things! I believe the city parks service has done a bang up job in keeping one of Madisonville's few resources looking attractive. Your scribe is not privileged enough to have ever been in a real country club, so I am just speculating when I say that the aforementioned would rival any such club.

I have failed miserably a few times at playing golf at our local park, and I also have two kids, so we all know I have done my time at the playground. In spite of these things my true interest lies on the water. I am just shy of being a fanatical fisherman. I cannot wait to retire so that I may tend a garden, take naps, and fish every day! To its credit the city park well accommodates this aspect of my leisure time; however I really prefer a little more seclusion when I fish. A location not quite so close to the flying golf balls, which sometimes go astray. A place with a little more scenery to take in when the bite has turned off.

The city does in fact have such a place at its disposal. However, they treat it, kind of like it's a place they are ashamed of. They treat this place as if they don't want to utilize it as a resource; rather they want to keep it in the closet? I know that the trees are not the only thing surrounding Grapevine Lake. It is also surrounded by a lot of stigma, Madisonville's own dirty little secret. I have fished this lake on several occasions and I am happy to report that all the rumors appear to be urban legend thus far. I often take my son fishing with me, so I am more than happy to say that I have yet to see any lewd or inappropriate conduct going down at Grapevine. All I have ever seen is a few individuals sitting in their vehicles, up the hill from the lake. As long as this is all I or my five year old son ever sees, then anything else is absolutely none of my business!

I am truly curious why the park is so neglected. I have never heard if it's because of budget constraints, or if there is another reason why the grass in front of the lake is three feet tall, and you need to add a four inch lift to your vehicle to traverse the washouts in the road. Maybe it is because the city can't generate money from a park with a trail, and lake, like they can one with a pool, and golf course. Perhaps the chamber feels like Grapevine doesn't earn its keep. This could be the reason why that the one and only time that I ever tried to walk around the lake, I found myself climbing over logs, still left over from the tornado damage. Or maybe it's because of the company the lake keeps, that encourages the parks department to send the security guy out to lock the gate to the front entrance long before the sun has decided to set for the day.

It occurs to me that if there is a perceived crime being committed out there, the city would be duty bound to force regular patrols to the lake.

It is still inside the city limits as far as I know, although the police department may not be able to get their cruisers across the huge ditches that run across the gravel drive, even if there was something out of the way going on at Grapevine! Alternative lifestyle or not, as long as no one is running nude on the grounds, it is none of our concern who frequents the park. If they are worried that something bad will happen back there like the murder that happened at the main park, that occurred when I was a boy, then maybe they should make it more desirable to people. More people means more eyes to bare witness in the event an individual intends to do someone else harm, but we cant hope for people to show up to an inhospitable place. People find it hard to fish from the bank in any numbers because there is only about thirty to fifty linear feet of clear bank to fish from, unless they feel like dragging themselves over a mile of downed trees to the opposite end of the lake.  There is no good reason why we should let this park lay to waste like the left over green beans, sitting in your fridge. The fact is it happens to be the only public lake we have in Madisonville that is not surrounded by houses, or guys smacking little white balls at you. In my humble opinion Grapevine is the most picturesque, panoramic view we have in this town all together. Besides that one lone house that just went up on the north side of the lake, you get a feel of complete seclusion, without ever getting too far from your own toilet, that reminds me, I wonder if they could spring for at least one port-a- potty? I am sure this is out of the question, when they won't even kill the nest of stinging things that set up every year in the no swimming, no gas motors sign. Ether fix Grapevine Lake, or plow it under so we can build more tract housing that no one wants to buy because there isn't anything in Madisonville worth moving here for.


Article provided to iSurf News by Josh Ashby.
The opinions expressed in this letter do not necessarily reflect the position of iSurf News.

 

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