LAKE PARK – A Lake Park City Council meeting was standing room only Tuesday.
A majority of the people in attendance were there for only one thing on the agenda: The final vote on Ordinance 114, which appoints a new committee to Tom’s Park.
The vote determines the fate for the new veterans memorial project, and the countless hours of labor and love poured into the project by local veterans.
Several concerned residents took to the stand in protest.
Shortly after community members voiced their concerns, Lake Park Mayor Eric Schindler abruptly stopped the vote to address the elephant in the room.
The mayor questioned whether the ordinance was a conflict of interest for councilwoman Jena Sandlin, and if she was going to vote.
Sandlin and her husband, a former Lake Park mayor, own the lot next to the new memorial. They’ve been arguing that the current project plans cut into their property.
Sandlin initially retracted her vote, then at second thought, put her vote back in.
Sandlin’s decision came after the council told her that taking away her vote would permanently remove her from any future decisions regarding the memorial at Tom’s Park.
The ordinance was passed with a 3-1 vote.
The new ordinance is causing a divide in the community. Local residents and veterans question the future of the new memorial, now that decisions will be made through a committee that is controlled by the council.
