LIVONIA, Mich. – About two years ago, the city of Livonia leased a neighborhood park to a soccer club. Since then, life for those living in the area has not been the same.
Trish Wiltsie described what she sees almost every day near JayCee Park in the neighborhood at Farmington and Seven Mile roads.
"Cars whizzing by. They don't stop. I walk my dog and I have to watch every time I cross the street because I don't know if they're going to stop," she said.
Not only that, residents say hundreds who go to the park every week to play and practice are noisy. They sometimes leave behind trash, and even trash talk.
When the president of the Michigan Wolves and Hawks Soccer Club called for a neighborhood meeting Thursday night to discuss expanding, he got an earful.
After hearing numerous complaints about noise, unsafe driving and objections to expanding the field to include concessions and lights, the soccer club is pulling back on its plans to expand.
"This has certainly caught me off guard," said Ed McCarthy, president of the Wolves and Hawks Soccer Club.
As to current issues, Livonia city leaders will now address the problems.
"We were totally taken by surprise on this," said City Council President Laura Toy.
Wiltsie wants action.
"I don't know what the solution is but something's got to be done about that," she said.
Toy said the issue will be addressed at the next City Council meeting. Some of the solutions already kicked around include installing speed bumps and posting signs warning drivers to slow down.
The speed limit in the neighborhood is 25 miles per hour.
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