Gilbert park renovation criticized after residents report dead animals, foul smells

PHOENIX - A major renovation project at Gilbert’s Freestone Park is raising concerns among residents after residents say they have found sick and dead wildlife were found as the park’s lakes are drained for repairs.

"It smells, it’s so bad. There’s so many mosquitos right now," Gilbert resident Lisa Fuller said.

"The turkey vultures have been coming because of the dead ducks," resident Fonda Christopher said.

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The lake renovation is part of a larger project at Freestone Park, which the town said has been in operation since 1988. They say the lake has not undergone a renovation since it was constructed.

Gilbert's Park and Recreation Director Michael Elliot said crews are replacing the lake’s liner and removing years of built-up silt and sediment.

"We’ve done the drawdown and the dredging and that’s where you are starting to see the most visible signs of the project underway," Elliot said. "And I think that's what's led to some of the feedback that we received."

Elliot said the town had a plan to remove non-native turtles and relocate fish with help from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, but he said some fish could not be relocated, and died as the water level dropped.

"But the other fish we couldn't bring, and so those fish, unfortunately, just passed from the -- from from the water being lowered," Elliot said. "I also think that a lot of the ducks, that have passed, unfortunately, are a result of that as well."

According to the town’s wildlife relocation plan, ducks, geese, cormorants, herons and other waterfowl are expected to naturally relocate to nearby waters during construction and return to the park once renovations are complete.

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Some residents, however, say some ducks at the lake cannot fly — leaving them vulnerable as the lake remains drained during construction.

Crystal’s Critter Haven and East Valley Wildlife has since become involved in rescuing animals from the lake.

"We initially signed up to take in the domestic ducks, the ones that cant fly away, and now it’s turned into a whole rescue mission of these ducks that have some kind of illness that we’re unaware of but we are thinking it’s botulism," said Crystal White of Crystal’s Critter Haven.

According to their Facebook, 36 waterfowl and four turtles have been rescued from the lake.

White said she is now working with the town to help the remaining animals, but said it took time for that response to come together.

"It was definitely handled poorly in the beginning and now I think that we’ve come to the agreement that they are going to have a plan in place for future renovations of different parks throughout Gilbert," White said. "And maybe this can be a lesson for all parks throughout our state."

Fuller said residents support improving the aging park, but question how the wildlife was handled.

"This is a multi-million dollar project, and they’re obviously working to redo the pond, which is great. The park is so old," Fuller said. "But they obviously didn’t plan for what to do with all the animals."

What's next:

Elliot said the town has committed to working more closely with wildlife partners on future projects.

"We have committed, for future programs, to work with our wildlife partners intentionally to build a plan that is a little bit more robust," Elliot said.

Elliot said they are testing the lake water for botulism, and treating nearby drainage basins for mosquitoes. He also said they expect the lake to be drained by the end of the week.