Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007
Park Police on Tuesday leveled what they called ‘‘a sophisticated dirt bunker” in Winding Creek Park outside of Aspen Hill, where people were believed to have been living.
Residents with safety concerns had called police about the structure, but police say the bunker was destroyed because such structures are not allowed on park property.
About three weeks ago, Jerry Jones said he was walking his dog in the park when he found a giant mound off a trail near Rock Creek. When he moved closer, he realized that people had been working on a shelter in the park complete with divided rooms, a wooden doorframe and a white wooden door that sat on top of the structure. The mound of dirt appeared to have been dug into to make a living or sleeping space for people.
‘‘I just don’t know who is living back there,” Jones said. ‘‘... I thought Montgomery County had enough social services to take care of these problems.”
On Friday morning after it had rained the night before, the bunker was empty, with pieces of scrap wood left near the entrance. One entrance, a hole big enough for an adult to crawl through, was framed by wood, and the outside of the doorway appeared to be have been made flat with a knife or work spatula.
Evidence such as a metal digging stick, extra pieces of wood and beer bottles near the bunker gave Jones the impression that people were returning to the 12-by-8-foot structure after going some place during the day.
Although Jones does not think residents in the area ever encountered anyone who lived in the shelter, he said it did make some residents uncomfortable knowing that there were people in the woods at night.
‘‘I know our green space is going quick and I feel for the people [living there], but then again, where do you set the line?” he said.
Michael Ketover, who often walks his dog in the park, said when he saw the structure, he noticed soda cans, Spanish-language newspapers and fresh footprints around it. He said what he found left behind indicated to him that the inhabitants may have been day laborers.
Ketover looked inside the bunker and found two rooms, separated by plywood and several 2-by-4-inch pieces of wood. The interior was about 4 feet high, but offered plenty of room for a number of people to sleep comfortably, he said.
It is against Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission code to build shelters on park property, said Lt. Karen Petrarca, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County division of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police. Shortly after Jones reported the bunker about three or four weeks ago, Petrarca said M-NCPPC maintenance crews were sent out to clean up trash at the site and inspect the structure. She said police told a man whom officers believed built the structure that he could not continue using it.
The man did not say he lived there, Petrarca said, but if he or others were living in the structure, they would be referred to a county crisis center and other homeless shelters.
Petrarca also said the shelter had remained untouched by county parks personnel for weeks as they waited for a piece of equipment large enough to destroy it.
While Petrarca said she has seen another shelter built in a similar fashion, she does not think there is an increase of such structures. And while it’s not unusual to find structures built by children, those also would be illegal under park code, she said.
While Ketover said he didn’t necessary feel threatened by the inhabitants, he could understand how others in the neighborhood, particularly women, would be apprehensive about walking alone in the park.
Kelli Ketover, Michael’s wife, said she is worried about her safety when she jogs on the trails.
‘‘On weekends, I’m not concerned because this trail is heavily used, but on the weekdays, you just don’t know what type of people they are,” she said Friday.
However, Kelli Ketover said she would be less concerned if people living in the bunker were discrete and did not leave trash in the park.
Jacki Coyle, executive director of Shepherd’s Table, a kitchen in downtown Silver Spring that feeds the homeless, said taking such measures to find housing shows the need.
‘‘I can understand why people would create a living situation there because they are trying to find a safe place to be at night, and perhaps that is where they have found it,” Coyle said.
Maria Paige, director of services for Casa of Maryland, an organization that operates several day laborer centers in the county, said if day laborers were living in the park, then it was a sign that not all county workers can afford a place to live.
Paige said Casa has referred people of all ethnic backgrounds to homeless shelters in the past, but it is up to those individuals to go there.
She said it is up to county government to find solutions for homelessness and the lack of affordable housing.
‘‘We need to educate people, but then again with education, we should have an action plan to address the situation,” Paige said.
