BURLINGTON — The sledding hill at Devor Park in Burlington sits empty this winter, leaving families disappointed after the city closed the popular recreation spot due to ongoing water tower maintenance.
Joshua Hurst, a Burlington resident who lives near the park, was shoveling Sunday while his kids played in the fresh snow. On a usual winter day, they'd go sledding.
"It's been awful quiet over here this year," Hurst said.
The city shut down the hill because of a water tower painting project that began in late summer. The project was expected to finish before winter but faced delays, leaving painting supplies and equipment stored near the sledding area.
"It's, you know, something that the entire community has enjoyed for a long time, and so it's strange to not have it functioning," Hurst said.
Security fencing now blocks off a large portion of the top of the hill, due to safety concerns about the stored materials.
The city announced the closure on Facebook, generating many comments from frustrated residents.
Burlington Mayor Jon Schultz acknowledged the community's disappointment.
"I can understand why people are upset though; I'd taken my kids to the hill plenty of times when they were younger," Schultz said in an email.
Watch here: How some in Burlington are rethinking their winter recreation plans after the city closed one of its sledding hills.
Hurst understands the city's safety precautions despite his family's disappointment.
"There's really no space for people at the top of the hill with what they've got going on over there," Hurst said.
He estimates on a typical winter day, 20-30 people would utilize the sledding hill at any given time. Since the city's post, he said he has not noticed people utilizing the hill.
His children, Henry and Isla, expressed their sadness about missing their favorite winter activity.
"I felt very sad. I wanted to go on it," Isla Hurst said.
"It's kind of sad, because I've been doing it for, like, a while," Henry Hurst said.
The children described what they love most about sledding at the hill.
"I like the feel of going, like, fast down a hill that's slippery," Henry said.
Isla said she enjoys "going down and getting snow in my face."
In the future, the family may opt for sledding on a smaller hill near the water tower hill.
"There's a smaller hill on the other side of the bowl here, but it's not as fun as the main attraction over here by the water tower," Joshua Hurst said.
"But we'll make it work."
Mayor Schultz said he does not believe it's a priority to patrol the area to prevent sledding, but he did ask residents not to tear down the security fencing that protects the construction zone. He said that is vandalism and is simply unsafe.
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