MUNCIE, Ind.(NewsLink) -- The park on the corner of East Gilbert and North Elm Street will now be lit throughout the night.
Superintendent of the Muncie Park Department Carl Malone said that this was a small but much needed renovation.
"They had a lot of loitering and a lot of individuals using the park for other things than what the park should be used for. So, safety concerns became an issue and so the residents and the neighborhood association asked us to provide some lighting," he said.
The main concern the residents had was the overall safety of the park. Just under three months ago, the department decided to eliminate park benches in hopes of driving away loitering and suspicious activity during the night.
Malone also said that the parks department plans on installing more of these lights and newer renovations to parks across Muncie in hopes of better policing these areas. Muncie resident Douglas Meyer lives directly across the street from the park and said he is happy about the new addition.
"It's protecting the kids. It's helping our home and watching out for the neighborhood and I really enjoy living across the street from the park now," said Meyer.
While the solar panel lights are helping protect the park, the department is looking for options to protect the lights, Malone said.
"We did have one of the panels damaged at the other site and so we're hoping that the panels can stay in place and the lighting can serve the public and the community."
