SAN DIEGO — The City of San Diego is responding to concerns over poor lighting at Alcazar Garden at Balboa Park.
Many who attend the Old Globe theater at night say the garden is completely in the dark and presents a safety risk.
“It’s very dark. Every time we go at the Old Globe, it’s dark," said concerned resident Amy Kinseth. “I’m also a runner and I run here during the summer, and I would never run through here alone without a buddy or my husband."
“I definitely think there should be more lighting, I don’t know why there isn’t," said Matthew Kinseth.
San Diegans enjoying a Saturday night evening at the Old Globe say walking through Alcazar Garden is a path they'd rather not take once the sun sets.
“Balboa Park is scary, so I’ve never come alone or without a buddy. I’d be sacred for my safety,” said Matthew Kinseth.
“Even me being here being a big guy, I’m always looking behind my back just in case," Kinseth said.
Many say the poor lighting is a major safety concern for a variety of reasons.
“I don’t usually walk here when the sun goes down because it’s gotten more sketchy," said Rob DeLaurentis, who visits the park frequently.
“There’s more homeless people living in the park, there’s more crime in the city," DeLaurentis added. “There’s just people that are drugged out."
DeLaurentis has been coming to the park for 30 years and says he’d like the city to add more lighting.
“A lot of people enjoy the park, so why not spend money here?" he said.
CBS 8 reached out to the City of San Diego about the concerns from residents.
In a statement a city spokesperson said:
“Staff was sent to the Alcazar Garden area of Balboa Park to inspect the lights. No immediate issues with lighting were observed. The parking lot adjacent to the garden is lit with flood lights, and there is a flood light on one side of the garden. The garden can be slightly darker as the only existing lighting, besides a flood light one wall, are ground level path lights. The lighting down the arcade walkway as well as in the parking lot all were in working order upon staff's inspection last week.”
Many people said they believe the city could do a better job to ensure safety.
“It wouldn’t hurt them to do some sort of study to see if adding lights could help people feel more secure and safe and bring them to Balboa Park which might bring more money into our city," said Kinseth.
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