LAKE FOREST : Council Will Discuss Safety at Serrano Park

In the wake of the rape of a young girl in Serrano Creek Community Park, the City Council tonight will consider calling a public meeting to discuss ways to improve safety in the heavily wooded recreation area.

Some Lake Forest residents have called for more lighting and for the city to thin out trees and bushes growing thickly in the 4.4-acre park, which is laced with riding and hiking trails. City officials undertook a weed abatement program last year, but some residents say more work on the park is needed.

Others who frequent the park would like the area to stay in its natural shape, but some city officials say they lean toward making the park safer.

“We have groups of people who like the aesthetics of a rural park setting and other people who want to see more space” in the park, Councilwoman Helen Wilson said. “As far as I’m concerned, public safety concerns should have the priority.”

Council members are considering having one or more meetings at City Hall to discuss safety issues at the park.

So far, no arrests have been made in connection with the Oct. 21 rape of a 9-year-old girl in the park.

The crime shocked the community. It is the first reported rape in the park, although a female jogger fended off a sexual assault in 1991. Sheriff’s deputies say that a few arrests for indecent exposure also have been made there in recent years.