Rexburg’s mayor addresses concerns about city parks

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) - The mayor of Rexburg is responding to those who are worried about maintenance at the city parks.

 Last week, Local News 8 reported on how local people took to social media upset that some park weren't being kept up with.

"The city of Rexburg Parks Department is incredibly busy trying to keep up with all of the parks that we have and the things that happen there," said Mayor Jerry Merrill. "You know, we have a lot of just regular citizens and we have a lot of college students here. So our parks get a little bit more pressure maybe than some other parks in other places and sometimes things get broken like that," the mayor said.

The mayor explained to us they are working hard to stay within budget and maintain their parks.

Mayor Merrill says things break and they are prepared to handle such matters when citizens call them in.

He says they have a supply of swings on hand when they get damage.

Despite the backlash, they are still looking forward to breaking ground on its Teton River Park.

"So it'll be really exciting. There'll be a lot of new things to do there in the park. Things that families normally do. So yeah, we're really excited to get it developed, but it's going to take some time and money to do it and unfortunately, sometimes we have to wait because we don't have enough money to build it all at once unless we get a big grant or a big donation from someone that would like to see it done quicker," Merrill said.

It's estimated the Teton River Park project will take about 10 years to develop. It will be a place where people can go tubing, paddle boarding, and biking. 

To report any damages that you would like to see fixed call the city's main number at (208) 359-3020